Bulldog Brower
Encyclopedia
Richard Gland was an American professional wrestler who used the ring name
Bulldog Brower.
territory in the late 1950s under the ring name the Delaware Destroyer. In 1961, Brower traveled to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart
in his wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling
. After his run in Stampede Wrestling, Brower wrestled for Frank Tunney
in Toronto
. There, Brower won the NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)
five times.
Brower then traveled to Puerto Rico, where he competed for the World Wrestling Council
(WWC). In WWC, he won the NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Puerto Rico/WWC version).
Brower also wrestled for National Wrestling Federation
(NWF), where he won the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship
. Brower went on to wrestle for another wrestling promotion this time World Championship Wrestling (Australia) where he won the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship
.
After his run in the NWF, Brower got a call from Vincent J. McMahon
to come and be a heel in the World Wide Wrestling Federation
(WWWF).
He retired from professional wrestling in the late 1980s. During his career Brower faced wrestlers such as Bruno Sammartino
, Johnny Valentine
, Tiger Jeet Singh
, Bob Backlund
, Whipper Watson
, The Sheik
, The Fabulous Kangaroos
, Johnny Powers
, Spiros Arion, Bobby Duncum, Sr., and Ernie Ladd
.
school to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.
After living with diabetes, Gland died in September 1997 from complications from hip surgery. At the time of his death, Gland was married to Susan and had two daughters and a son, as well as four grandchildren.
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:...
Bulldog Brower.
Professional wrestling career
Gland started his career in the DelawareDelaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
territory in the late 1950s under the ring name the Delaware Destroyer. In 1961, Brower traveled to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
in his wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
. After his run in Stampede Wrestling, Brower wrestled for Frank Tunney
Frank Tunney
Francis Martin “Frank” Tunney was a Canadian professional wrestling promoter, based in Toronto.-Early years:...
in Toronto
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
. There, Brower won the NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)
NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)
The Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1961 through 1977...
five times.
Brower then traveled to Puerto Rico, where he competed for the World Wrestling Council
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
(WWC). In WWC, he won the NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Puerto Rico/WWC version).
Brower also wrestled for National Wrestling Federation
National Wrestling Federation
The original National Wrestling Federation was a wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martínez. It ran from 1970-1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin...
(NWF), where he won the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship
NWF North American Heavyweight Championship
The NWF North American Heavyweight Championship was a secondary singles title in the American professional wrestling promotion, the National Wrestling Federation. The title started in 1968 as a National Wrestling Alliance title, named the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship until the NWF...
. Brower went on to wrestle for another wrestling promotion this time World Championship Wrestling (Australia) where he won the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship
NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 until the promotion's 1978 closure....
.
After his run in the NWF, Brower got a call from Vincent J. McMahon
Vincent J. McMahon
Vincent James "Vince" McMahon, better known as Vince McMahon, Sr. was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for founding the American promotion, World Wide Wrestling Federation, which is now known as WWE.-Early life:Vincent James McMahon was born on July 6, 1914 in Harlem,...
to come and be a heel in the World Wide 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...
(WWWF).
He retired from professional wrestling in the late 1980s. During his career Brower faced wrestlers such as Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
, Johnny Valentine
Johnny Valentine
Johnny Valentine was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling...
, Tiger Jeet Singh
Tiger Jeet Singh
Jagjit Singh Hans is a semi-retired professional wrestler, known better by his ring name Tiger Jeet Singh. He wrestled as a crazed heel, coming to the ring with a sword in his mouth . Singh wrestled in Japan for 22 years...
, Bob Backlund
Bob Backlund
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund is an American professional wrestler with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion...
, Whipper Watson
Whipper Billy Watson
William John Potts, O.Ont was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Whipper Billy Watson, and was a two-time world heavyweight wrestling champion.-Early life:...
, The Sheik
Ed Farhat
Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...
, The Fabulous Kangaroos
The Fabulous Kangaroos
The Fabulous Kangaroos is a former professional wrestling tag team that existed in various forms from 1957 until 1983. The first incarnation of The Fabulous Kangaroos was formed when Italian Australian Al Costello teamed with Australia native Roy Heffernan and adopted an "Ultra Australian" gimmick...
, Johnny Powers
Johnny Powers
Johnny Powers is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, known by his legally changed ring name Johnny Powers...
, Spiros Arion, Bobby Duncum, Sr., and Ernie Ladd
Ernie Ladd
Ernest "Ernie" Ladd , nicknamed "The Big Cat" was an American collegiate and professional football player and a professional wrestler.-Pro Football career:...
.
Personal life
Gland dropped out of chiropracticChiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
school to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.
After living with diabetes, Gland died in September 1997 from complications from hip surgery. At the time of his death, Gland was married to Susan and had two daughters and a son, as well as four grandchildren.
Championships and accomplishments
- Maple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version)The Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1961 through 1977...
(5 times) - with Sweet Daddy SikiSweet Daddy SikiReginald Siki is a former professional wrestler and was born on June 16 in Montgomery, Texas.Sweet Daddy Siki started wrestling in 1955 in Artesia, New Mexico. He also did some training in Los Angeles with Sandor Szabo and Ray Ortega...
(1), Johnny ValentineJohnny ValentineJohnny Valentine was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling...
(1), Dr.Jerry Graham (1), and Whipper Billy WatsonWhipper Billy WatsonWilliam John Potts, O.Ont was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Whipper Billy Watson, and was a two-time world heavyweight wrestling champion.-Early life:...
(2)
- National Wrestling FederationNational Wrestling FederationThe original National Wrestling Federation was a wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martínez. It ran from 1970-1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin...
- NWF North American Heavyweight ChampionshipNWF North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWF North American Heavyweight Championship was a secondary singles title in the American professional wrestling promotion, the National Wrestling Federation. The title started in 1968 as a National Wrestling Alliance title, named the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship until the NWF...
(2 times)
- World Class Championship WrestlingWorld Class Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Roddy PiperRoddy PiperRoderick 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...
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 until the promotion's 1978 closure....
(1 time)
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Puerto Rico/WWC version) (1 time) - with Luke GrahamLuke GrahamLuke Graham is a footballer who plays for Forest Green Rovers as a defender.-Club career:Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, Graham started his career with Northampton Town in their youth system. He was on loan at Billericay Town from November 2003 to February 2004, making nine appearances and...
External links
- Brower at Online World of Wrestling
- http://www.1wrestlinglegends.com/column/oz-03.htm