Greg Valentine
Encyclopedia
John Wisniski, Jr. is an American
professional wrestler
, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine
.
, Valentine traveled around Texas
in his teens with his father. During a summer vacation, he decided to drop out of college and become a wrestler. His father initially tried to deter him, but eventually ceded to his wishes and sent him to Canada
in 1970 to train under Stu Hart
in Calgary
. Wisniski remained in Canada for a year, wrestling his debut match in July 1970 against Angelo "King Kong" Mosca
(he lost in around five minutes). Six months later, Wisniski relocated to Detroit
to complete his training under The Sheik
.
, Wisniski wrestled as Baby Face Nelson before becoming Johnny Fargo, one half of The Fargo Brothers with Don Fargo between 1971 and 1974. The Fargo Brothers initially competed in the Buffalo
and Cleveland
based National Wrestling Federation before moving on to Texas
. They split in 1974 and Wisniski went to Florida
, where he began performing as Johnny Valentine, Jr., hopeful that he could live up to his father's legacy. He later changed his ring name to Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and was billed as Johnny Valentine's brother, not his son, because of fears that the elder Valentine would be thought of as too old to be a legitimate threat. Valentine remained in Florida for a year while also working in Los Angeles
and in Japan
under Antonio Inoki
in 1975 and early 1976.
and George Scott
's Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
, an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance
based in the Carolinas
and Virginias
. Valentine was hired to replace his father, who had been forced to retire after he broke his back in a plane crash
in 1975. He immediately began feuding
with Johnny Weaver, who he "retired" with a top rope elbow drop. Valentine's elbow drop was promoted as a deadly move, with tapes of him breaking wooden boards with his elbow shown to the audiences before his debut.
Valentine then formed a tag team
with Ric Flair
, with whom he twice won the NWA World Tag Team Championships
and held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
(between June 30 and August 22, 1977). They first defeated Flair's "cousins"
Gene
and Ole Anderson
on December 26, 1976 in Greensboro
, injuring Gene so badly that he had to be stretchered out. They held the titles until May 8, 1977, when the Andersons
defeated them in a steel cage match in the old Charlotte Coliseum
. Flair and Valentine regained the tag titles from the Andersons on October 30, this time leaving Ole unable to leave under his own power. The team split after they were stripped of the titles in April 1978 by NWA president Eddie Graham
as a result of their "unprofessional conduct". Flair then set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
, while Valentine held the NWA World Tag Team Championships once more with Baron Von Raschke
in 1978.
At the same time, Valentine feuded with Chief Wahoo McDaniel
over the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
. Wahoo had cost Valentine and Flair their first tag team championships (Wahoo, the then-nemesis of Flair, had been the special referee in the steel cage match), so Valentine was eager for revenge. On June 11, 1977 in Raleigh
he defeated Wahoo, breaking his leg in the process. Though Wahoo's legs were too thick for Valentine to apply his signature Figure Four leglock, he managed to break Wahoo's ankle using a Leg/Ankle Suplex. The heel
Valentine then began wearing a T-Shirt with the slogan "I broke Wahoo's leg" on the front and "No more Wahoo" on the back. Wahoo returned on August 9, 1977 and took back the title. Valentine would hold the title once more, defeating Wahoo again on September 10 and losing to Ken Patera
on April 9, 1978.
, in November 1978. Managed by The Grand Wizard
, he was given the gimmick of a methodical wrestler who broke the legs of all his opponents, including Chief Jay Strongbow
. In 1979, he faced WWF World Heavyweight Champion
Bob Backlund
and fought him to a one hour draw.
Valentine returned to the WWWF, now known as the World Wrestling Federation, for a year in 1981 and continued to pursue the title. On October 19, he was pinned by Backlund, but then handed the title belt by the dazed referee. The title was held up, and Backlund defeated Valentine cleanly in the November 23 rematch. He also feuded with Pedro Morales
, who he "injured" by suplex
ing him on the concrete floor of the arena.
, declined. Valentine held the NWA World Tag Team Championship once more with Ray Stevens
in 1980. Four days after their victory, the promoter, David Crockett
told Valentine and Stevens that he possessed film
which proved that the illegal man had been pinned in the tag match, nullifying the win. When Crockett threatened to send the film to Bob Geigel
(then the NWA President) who would overturn their victory, Stevens and Valentine attacked him and cut the film up with a pocket knife, destroying the evidence.
Valentine later claimed to have "seen the light", and reformed his team with Flair, who believed that Valentine was now a face. In a tag match against Jimmy Snuka
and The Iron Sheik, Valentine abandoned Flair, leaving him outnumbered. Flair was beaten, and then Valentine snapped Gene Anderson’s hickory
cane over his head, legitimately breaking his nose and splitting his lips. The former partners began feuding over Flair's NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
, with Valentine finally defeating Flair for the title on July 26 in Flair's adopted hometown of Charlotte
. He held the title until November 24, when he was beaten by Flair; Flair became one of Valentine's main opponents in the Mid-Atlantic territory.
Valentine would hold the United States Championship twice more, renewing his feud with Wahoo in 1982 and defeating him for the title on November 4 with the assistance of his manager
, Sir Oliver Humperdink
. Roddy Piper
began pursuing the title, and, after Piper gave Valentine a cake with a dog collar
inside, the two had a series of brutal Dog Collar Matches, most notably at StarrCade 1983
, where Piper pinned Valentine in a non-title match after repeatedly whipping him with the steel chain. The feud was intensified by Valentine's propensity to focus on Piper's ear, which had been injured earlier in his career and would bleed easily. Piper would eventually defeat Valentine on April 16, 1983, but Valentine regained the title on April 30 in Greensboro, NC; after the match, where he regained the US Title from Piper, Valentine nailed Piper in the ear with US Title. He dropped the title to Dick Slater on December 14, just before leaving the for the World Wrestling Federation
.
's plan for national expansion would succeed. His first manager was Captain Lou Albano
, and he was later managed by Jimmy Hart
.
On September 24, 1984 in London, Ontario
Valentine defeated Tito Santana
for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
, focusing on Santana's injured knee throughout the match. Santana initially thought he had the match won, but had in fact only achieved a two-count. As Santana was celebrating, Valentine rolled him up for the pin and the title. Following the win, Valentine put Santana in the figure four leglock, reinjuring him. While Santana was sidelined having leg surgery, Valentine feuded with the Junkyard Dog
, who he faced in an IC Title match at the very first WrestleMania
held in Madison Square Garden
. Valentine pinned the JYD after using the ropes, but Santana came to ringside and informed the referee, who restarted the match. Valentine then walked out, losing the match by count-out but saving his title. Santana eventually healed and fought Valentine in many matches (after Santana returned to the ring by defeating The Executioner
in the first ever match at Wrestlemania). He went on to win the title back on July 6, 1985 in a steel cage match in Baltimore, ending Valentine's reign of more than 9 months. Valentine, incensed over losing the belt, destroyed it in the steel cage, forcing the WWF to get a new Intercontinental title belt (in reality, the WWF had made a new IC Championship belt to go along with the new image they were trying to promote and 'smashing' the old IC belt was seen as a way of moving forward).
Valentine would then form a tag team with Brutus Beefcake
known as The Dream Team
, managed by Johnny V
. On August 24, 1985 the Dream Team defeated the U.S. Express
(Barry Windham
and Mike Rotunda
) for the WWF World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles until April 7, 1986 when they were defeated at WrestleMania 2
by the British Bulldogs
. At WrestleMania III
, the Dream Team defeated Jacques Rougeau
and Raymond Rougeau
as a result of interference by Johnny V and Dino Bravo
. Upset because of a missed move by Beefcake during the match, Valentine left with Bravo and abandoned Beefcake, resulting in Brutus turning face later on in the night.
Replacing Beefcake with Dino Bravo, Valentine formed The New Dream Team. Valentine was unhappy about teaming with Bravo, who he felt he had little chemistry with. After the WWF asked him to "kidnap" Matilda, the bulldog
mascot of the British Bulldogs, Valentine resigned. He was brought back soon after, with Jimmy Hart as his new manager, but was used in a much diminished role between 1987 and 1990.
In 1988, Valentine feuded with newly-turned face Don "The Rock" Muraco
, after Valentine viciously attacked Muraco's manager, former WWF World Heavyweight Champion "Superstar" Billy Graham. Graham, walking with a cane, tried to intervene when Valentine held the figure-four leglock on jobber Ricky Ataki, after already winning the match. Valentine then put the figure-four on Graham, who had a plastic hip.
Valentine was entered in the World Heavyweight Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV
, where he defeated Ricky Steamboat
before losing to Randy Savage
, the eventual winner of the tournament. In April 1989 he began feuding with "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
. Two weeks after WrestleMania V
, he defeated Garvin in a retirement match on Superstars of Wrestling
by reversing a small package and holding on to the ropes. Garvin became a referee until Valentine and Hart managed to have him fired. Garvin then became a ring announcer, and began aggravating Valentine. At SummerSlam 1989
for his match with Hercules
he announced Valentine as being Hercules' "so-called opponent" and at 249 lbs looking to Garvin like he was "overweight by thirty pounds" and as as he approached the ring. Other 'insults' by Garvin during the introduction included Valentine not knowing whether he was "coming or going" and being the only wrestler Garvin knew who had "two left feet". Following the match Garvin then announced Hercules as the winner when Valentine cheated to win, despite the referee declaring Valentine the winner. Valentine knocked Garvin out of the ring before having a further punching match with Hercules while Garvin climbed back in the ring and nailed Valentine. The Hammer and Jimmy Hart eventually demanded that Garvin be reinstated so that they could fight in the ring.
For some time Valentine had been wearing a shin guard, which he would rotate (so it covered his calf, not his shin) in order to increase the pressure exerted by the Figure Four Leglock. He referred to the shin guard as the "Heartbreaker". Valentine would also (illegally) attach the shin guard to his arm in order to accentuate his elbow drops. In the course of the feud, Garvin countered with a rotated shin guard of his own, which he dubbed "the Hammer Jammer". The feud culminated in a submission match at the 1990 Royal Rumble
. Garvin utilized the "Hammer Jammer" during the match, using it to "counter" Valentine's Figure Four Leglock when Valentine applied it on Garvin during the match. Jimmy Hart managed to remove the "Hammer Jammer" from Garvin's leg, after which Valentine systematically wore down Garvin's leg, but eventually lost after Garvin hit him with the Heartbreaker and applied a sharpshooter
, forcing Valentine to submit.
Shortly after, formed a tag team with The Honky Tonk Man
who was also managed by Jimmy Hart. For around eight months Valentine resisted dying his hair black (an idea of Jesse "The Body" Ventura
) but eventually relented and the team became known as Rhythm and Blues
and were managed by Hart. Rhythm and Blues feuded with The Bushwhackers
and The Hart Foundation
, but were overshadowed by the Legion Of Doom
, who were by then dominating the tag division. Famously during the time of Rhythm and Blues, WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon
would proclaim every time Valentine got on the microphone and sang that "if you hung The Hammer for being a good singer you would hang an innocent person".
Valentine turned on Honky Tonk Man and became a face in December 1990. On January 19, 1991 Valentine participated in the fourth annual Royal Rumble match, where he lasted forty four minutes. He was to feud with his former partner, the Honky Tonk Man, but Honky left the WWF before the feud could begin. Valentine lost to Earthquake
at WrestleMania VII
, and was defeated again at SummerSlam 1991
by Irwin R. Schyster
. He participated in the 1992 Royal Rumble
, where he attacked his old rival Ric Flair before being eliminated by Repo Man
.
in 1992. He formed a tag team with Terry Taylor
for six months and the duo went on to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship
. After Taylor was fired, Valentine was left without an angle, and eventually resigned in late 1992 when he was asked to lose
to Sting
.
under a mask as The Blue Knight in an elimination match pitting Shawn Michaels
(who was substituting for Jerry Lawler
) and his three "knights" (who also included Barry Horowitz
as the Red Knight and Jeff Gaylord
as the Black Knight) against the Hart Family. He would return again, as Greg Valentine, at the 1994 Royal Rumble
, lasting over twenty minutes before being eliminated by Rick Martel
.
, wrestling in Japan, with the Hamilton
based International Championship Wrestling promotion and with the American Wrestling Federation
. Starting in the summer of 1996, Valentine made several appearances with WCW over the course of the next two years. He was used on a pay-per-appearance basis, but was rarely utilized and was allowed to continue wrestling on the independent circuit. On October 10, 1999 he appeared on the infamous Heroes of Wrestling
pay per view, pinning George "The Animal" Steele
with the assistance of Sherri Martel
. He wrestled on the 2000 tour of the United Kingdom
in which Yokozuna
died. He was also involved with the short-lived X Wrestling Federation
as an investor and as an in-ring performer. In the 2000s, he began reducing his independent dates in order to pursue a career in real estate
.
On January 29, 2005 at WrestleReunion
, Valentine won a seventeen man battle royal
to become the IWA Heavyweight Champion. He lost the title to Tito Santana
at WrestleReunion #2 on August 27 of that year. Valentine also wrestled for several independent promotions, including AWA Superstars of Wrestling
, which toured New England
. In AWA Superstars of Wrestling, Valentine regularly wrestled Tony Atlas
.
In Late 2007 Greg Valentine made an appearance in JCW or Juggalo Championship Wrestling reforming the Dream Team with Brutus Beefcake. in an 8 team elimination match for the then vacant JCW Tag-Team Titles
. Where they were the first team to be eliminated after a slightly botched sunset flip from Necro Butcher
. Valentine was scheduled to face Lanny Poffo
at Great North Wrestling's Randy "Macho Man" Savage tribute event in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada on September 3, 2011, but no-showed after being paid all of his appearance fee up front. This has seriously damaged his reputation and will affect him getting booked at independent shows in the future.
by his former manager Jimmy Hart. The following night, at WrestleMania XX
at Madison Square Garden
, Valentine received loud applause when the class of 2004 was introduced. Shortly after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Valentine dedicated the plaque he received to his late father by saying: "This one's for you pap, Johnny Valentine
". On October 3, 2005, Valentine made an appearance at WWE Homecoming, and on October 23 he was defeated by Rob Conway (then using a gimmick similar to that of Randy Orton
's gimmick of "the legend killer") on an episode of WWE Heat
after Eugene
interfered on his behalf, causing the referee to award a victory via disqualification to Conway. He was present at the Retirement Ceremony of his long-time friend, Ric Flair
, on the March 31, 2008 episode of WWE Raw
.
s and college
s with Ted DiBiase
. He is also a part of Christian wrestling organization, World Impact Wrestling. He is the brother-in-law to wrestler Brian Knobbs
.
Valentine once appeared on an episode of Hogan Knows Best
as one of Hulk's party guests.
1Valentine actually won the title three times, but WWE only recognizes him as a two time champion.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler 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...
.
Training
Born in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Valentine traveled around 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...
in his teens with his father. During a summer vacation, he decided to drop out of college and become a wrestler. His father initially tried to deter him, but eventually ceded to his wishes and sent him to 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...
in 1970 to train under 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 Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. Wisniski remained in Canada for a year, wrestling his debut match in July 1970 against Angelo "King Kong" Mosca
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules...
(he lost in around five minutes). Six months later, Wisniski relocated to Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
to complete his training under The Sheik
Ed Farhat
Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...
.
Early years (1970-1976)
Initially reluctant to take his father's ring nameRing 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:...
, Wisniski wrestled as Baby Face Nelson before becoming Johnny Fargo, one half of The Fargo Brothers with Don Fargo between 1971 and 1974. The Fargo Brothers initially competed in the Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
based National Wrestling Federation before moving on to 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...
. They split in 1974 and Wisniski went to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where he began performing as Johnny Valentine, Jr., hopeful that he could live up to his father's legacy. He later changed his ring name to Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and was billed as Johnny Valentine's brother, not his son, because of fears that the elder Valentine would be thought of as too old to be a legitimate threat. Valentine remained in Florida for a year while also working in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and 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...
under Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
in 1975 and early 1976.
National Wrestling Alliance (1976-1978)
In August 1976, Valentine debuted in Jim Crockett, Jr.Jim Crockett, Jr.
Jim Crockett, Jr. is a former professional wrestling promoter. From 1973 to 1988, he owned Jim Crockett Promotions , a wrestling company affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance...
and George Scott
George Scott (wrestler)
George Scott was a Canadian professional wrestler, booker and promoter. From the 1950s until the 1970s, he and his younger brother Sandy competed as The Flying Scotts in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance, particularly the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic...
's Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
, an affiliate of 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...
based in the Carolinas
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
and Virginias
Virginias
Virginias may refer to:*Virginia*West Virginia...
. Valentine was hired to replace his father, who had been forced to retire after he broke his back in a plane crash
Aviation accidents and incidents
An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a...
in 1975. He immediately began feuding
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Johnny Weaver, who he "retired" with a top rope elbow drop. Valentine's elbow drop was promoted as a deadly move, with tapes of him breaking wooden boards with his elbow shown to the audiences before his debut.
Valentine then formed 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 Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, with whom he twice won the NWA World Tag Team Championships
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
and held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
The NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship is the tag team title currently defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship...
(between June 30 and August 22, 1977). They first defeated Flair's "cousins"
Anderson family
The Anderson family is a group of professional wrestlers, a fictitious extended family largely consisting of brothers and cousins. It started in the Minnesota area in the late 1960s with a tag team called The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, consisting of "brothers" Lars Anderson and Gene Anderson...
Gene
Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
and Ole Anderson
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
on December 26, 1976 in Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, injuring Gene so badly that he had to be stretchered out. They held the titles until May 8, 1977, when the Andersons
Minnesota Wrecking Crew
The Minnesota Wrecking Crew was originally a professional wrestling tag team that was formed by Gene and Lars Anderson but since then has featured a number of wrestlers who wrestled under the Anderson family name despite not being blood related.-History:...
defeated them in a steel cage match in the old Charlotte Coliseum
Cricket Arena
Bojangles' Coliseum is a 9,605-seat multi-purpose arena, in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the Ovens Auditorium and the Charlotte Convention Center...
. Flair and Valentine regained the tag titles from the Andersons on October 30, this time leaving Ole unable to leave under his own power. The team split after they were stripped of the titles in April 1978 by NWA president Eddie Graham
Eddie Graham
Edward Gossett was a professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of the NWA in the 1970s. His son, Mike Graham, was also a professional wrestler.-Career:Edward F...
as a result of their "unprofessional conduct". Flair then set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
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...
, while Valentine held the NWA World Tag Team Championships once more with Baron Von Raschke
James Raschke
James Donald Raschke is a retired professional wrestler best known as Baron von Raschke.-Career:...
in 1978.
At the same time, Valentine feuded with Chief Wahoo McDaniel
Wahoo McDaniel
Edward "Wahoo" McDaniel was a Choctaw-Chickasaw Native American who achieved fame as a professional American football player and later as a professional wrestler.-Early life:...
over the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in Jim Crockett Promotions , a territory-promotion governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . The title was only contestable by male individual wrestlers...
. Wahoo had cost Valentine and Flair their first tag team championships (Wahoo, the then-nemesis of Flair, had been the special referee in the steel cage match), so Valentine was eager for revenge. On June 11, 1977 in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
he defeated Wahoo, breaking his leg in the process. Though Wahoo's legs were too thick for Valentine to apply his signature Figure Four leglock, he managed to break Wahoo's ankle using a Leg/Ankle Suplex. The 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...
Valentine then began wearing a T-Shirt with the slogan "I broke Wahoo's leg" on the front and "No more Wahoo" on the back. Wahoo returned on August 9, 1977 and took back the title. Valentine would hold the title once more, defeating Wahoo again on September 10 and losing to Ken Patera
Ken Patera
Ken Patera is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.-Weightlifting/Strongman career:Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter...
on April 9, 1978.
World Wide Wrestling Federation (1978-1981)
Valentine began working on a casual basis for the World Wide Wrestling Federation, then owned by Vincent J. McMahonVincent 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,...
, in November 1978. Managed by The Grand Wizard
Ernie Roth
Ernie Roth , best known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, also well known as Abdullah Farouk, was a professional wrestling manager of many infamous heels...
, he was given the gimmick of a methodical wrestler who broke the legs of all his opponents, including Chief Jay Strongbow
Joe Scarpa
Joseph Luke Scarpa is a former professional wrestler who was best known by his famous ring moniker, Chief Jay Strongbow...
. In 1979, he faced WWF World Heavyweight Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
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...
and fought him to a one hour draw.
Valentine returned to the WWWF, now known as the World Wrestling Federation, for a year in 1981 and continued to pursue the title. On October 19, he was pinned by Backlund, but then handed the title belt by the dazed referee. The title was held up, and Backlund defeated Valentine cleanly in the November 23 rematch. He also feuded with Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s...
, who he "injured" by suplex
Suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
ing him on the concrete floor of the arena.
National Wrestling Alliance (1979-1984)
Valentine returned to the NWA in late 1979 and asked Flair to reform their tag team. Flair, by then a faceFace (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...
, declined. Valentine held the NWA World Tag Team Championship once more with Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens (wrestler)
Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
in 1980. Four days after their victory, the promoter, David Crockett
David Crockett (wrestling)
David F. Crockett is a former professional wrestling announcer and executive from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the son of Jim Crockett and brother to Jim Crockett, Jr. He was usually paired in announcing duties with Tony Schiavone, with Crockett providing color commentary and Schiavone...
told Valentine and Stevens that he possessed film
Photographic film
Photographic film is a sheet of plastic coated with an emulsion containing light-sensitive silver halide salts with variable crystal sizes that determine the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the film...
which proved that the illegal man had been pinned in the tag match, nullifying the win. When Crockett threatened to send the film to Bob Geigel
Bob Geigel
Robert "Bob" Geigel is a former American professional wrestling promoter and also a former professional wrestler. Geigel ran the NWA Central States promotion between 1963 and 1986, until it was bought out by Jim Crockett Promotions...
(then the NWA President) who would overturn their victory, Stevens and Valentine attacked him and cut the film up with a pocket knife, destroying the evidence.
Valentine later claimed to have "seen the light", and reformed his team with Flair, who believed that Valentine was now a face. In a tag match against 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...
and The Iron Sheik, Valentine abandoned Flair, leaving him outnumbered. Flair was beaten, and then Valentine snapped Gene Anderson’s hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
cane over his head, legitimately breaking his nose and splitting his lips. The former partners began feuding over Flair's NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
, with Valentine finally defeating Flair for the title on July 26 in Flair's adopted hometown of Charlotte
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...
. He held the title until November 24, when he was beaten by Flair; Flair became one of Valentine's main opponents in the Mid-Atlantic territory.
Valentine would hold the United States Championship twice more, renewing his feud with Wahoo in 1982 and defeating him for the title on November 4 with the assistance of his manager
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...
, Sir Oliver Humperdink
Oliver Humperdink
John Sutton , better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:...
. 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...
began pursuing the title, and, after Piper gave Valentine a cake with a dog collar
Dog collar
A dog collar is a is a piece of material put around the neck of a dog. A collar might be used for control, identification, fashion, or other purposes. Identification tags and medical information is often placed on dog collars. Collars are also useful for controlling a dog manually, as they provide...
inside, the two had a series of brutal Dog Collar Matches, most notably at StarrCade 1983
Starrcade (1983)
Starrcade '83: A Flair for the Gold was the first annual Starrcade professional wrestling event. It was produced under the National Wrestling Alliance banner by Jim Crockett Promotions . The event took place on November 24, 1983 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and was...
, where Piper pinned Valentine in a non-title match after repeatedly whipping him with the steel chain. The feud was intensified by Valentine's propensity to focus on Piper's ear, which had been injured earlier in his career and would bleed easily. Piper would eventually defeat Valentine on April 16, 1983, but Valentine regained the title on April 30 in Greensboro, NC; after the match, where he regained the US Title from Piper, Valentine nailed Piper in the ear with US Title. He dropped the title to Dick Slater on December 14, just before leaving the for 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...
.
World Wrestling Federation (1984-1992)
Valentine went to the WWF in 1984, predicting that Vince McMahonVince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
's plan for national expansion would succeed. His first manager was Captain Lou Albano
Lou Albano
Louis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995....
, and he was later managed by Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Hart
James "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
.
On September 24, 1984 in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
Valentine defeated 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...
for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
, focusing on Santana's injured knee throughout the match. Santana initially thought he had the match won, but had in fact only achieved a two-count. As Santana was celebrating, Valentine rolled him up for the pin and the title. Following the win, Valentine put Santana in the figure four leglock, reinjuring him. While Santana was sidelined having leg surgery, Valentine feuded with the Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog...
, who he faced in an IC Title match at the very first WrestleMania
WrestleMania (1985)
WrestleMania was the first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 31, 1985, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The attendance for the event was 19,121 fans...
held in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. Valentine pinned the JYD after using the ropes, but Santana came to ringside and informed the referee, who restarted the match. Valentine then walked out, losing the match by count-out but saving his title. Santana eventually healed and fought Valentine in many matches (after Santana returned to the ring by defeating The Executioner
Buddy Rose
Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...
in the first ever match at Wrestlemania). He went on to win the title back on July 6, 1985 in a steel cage match in Baltimore, ending Valentine's reign of more than 9 months. Valentine, incensed over losing the belt, destroyed it in the steel cage, forcing the WWF to get a new Intercontinental title belt (in reality, the WWF had made a new IC Championship belt to go along with the new image they were trying to promote and 'smashing' the old IC belt was seen as a way of moving forward).
Valentine would then form a tag team with Brutus Beefcake
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
known as The Dream Team
The Dream Team (professional wrestling)
The Dream Team was a World Wrestling Federation tag team from 1985 to March 29, 1987 consisting of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine managed by ”Lucious” Johnny Valiant...
, managed by Johnny V
John L. Sullivan (wrestler)
John L. Sullivan is a retired professional wrestler better known as Johnny Valiant. He competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation , which became the World Wrestling Federation during his time with the promotion. He won the World Tag Team Championship two times...
. On August 24, 1985 the Dream Team defeated the U.S. Express
U.S. Express
The U.S. Express was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham in the World Wrestling Federation. Windham was later replaced by Dan Spivey and the team was renamed the American Express.-Windham and Rotunda:...
(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 ....
and Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
) for the WWF World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles until April 7, 1986 when they were defeated at WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
by the British Bulldogs
British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Tom Billington , professional wrestlers who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America, England, and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.-Early years :In the 1970s, Dynamite Kid and Davey...
. At WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . The event was held on March 29, 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan....
, the Dream Team defeated Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
and Raymond Rougeau
Raymond Rougeau
Raymond "Ray" Rougeau is a former Canadian professional wrestler and French language television presenter and commentator.-Career:...
as a result of interference by Johnny V and Dino Bravo
Dino Bravo
Adolfo Bresciano was an Italian-born Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his work as Dino Bravo, self-proclaimed as "Canada's Strongest Man".-Territories:...
. Upset because of a missed move by Beefcake during the match, Valentine left with Bravo and abandoned Beefcake, resulting in Brutus turning face later on in the night.
Replacing Beefcake with Dino Bravo, Valentine formed The New Dream Team. Valentine was unhappy about teaming with Bravo, who he felt he had little chemistry with. After the WWF asked him to "kidnap" Matilda, the bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
mascot of the British Bulldogs, Valentine resigned. He was brought back soon after, with Jimmy Hart as his new manager, but was used in a much diminished role between 1987 and 1990.
In 1988, Valentine feuded with newly-turned face Don "The Rock" Muraco
Don Muraco
Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler...
, after Valentine viciously attacked Muraco's manager, former WWF World Heavyweight Champion "Superstar" Billy Graham. Graham, walking with a cane, tried to intervene when Valentine held the figure-four leglock on jobber Ricky Ataki, after already winning the match. Valentine then put the figure-four on Graham, who had a plastic hip.
Valentine was entered in the World Heavyweight Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 27, 1988 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey....
, where he defeated Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
before losing to 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...
, the eventual winner of the tournament. In April 1989 he began feuding with "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin is a Canadian former professional wrestler and referee most known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early career:...
. Two weeks after WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 1989 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey...
, he defeated Garvin in a retirement match on 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...
by reversing a small package and holding on to the ropes. Garvin became a referee until Valentine and Hart managed to have him fired. Garvin then became a ring announcer, and began aggravating Valentine. At SummerSlam 1989
SummerSlam (1989)
SummerSlam was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 28, 1989 in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey....
for his match with Hercules
Ray Fernandez
Raymond Fernandez was a professional wrestler who primarily wrestled in Florida and Texas before joining the World Wrestling Federation. He was best known by the ring name Hercules Hernandez or simply Hercules...
he announced Valentine as being Hercules' "so-called opponent" and at 249 lbs looking to Garvin like he was "overweight by thirty pounds" and as as he approached the ring. Other 'insults' by Garvin during the introduction included Valentine not knowing whether he was "coming or going" and being the only wrestler Garvin knew who had "two left feet". Following the match Garvin then announced Hercules as the winner when Valentine cheated to win, despite the referee declaring Valentine the winner. Valentine knocked Garvin out of the ring before having a further punching match with Hercules while Garvin climbed back in the ring and nailed Valentine. The Hammer and Jimmy Hart eventually demanded that Garvin be reinstated so that they could fight in the ring.
For some time Valentine had been wearing a shin guard, which he would rotate (so it covered his calf, not his shin) in order to increase the pressure exerted by the Figure Four Leglock. He referred to the shin guard as the "Heartbreaker". Valentine would also (illegally) attach the shin guard to his arm in order to accentuate his elbow drops. In the course of the feud, Garvin countered with a rotated shin guard of his own, which he dubbed "the Hammer Jammer". The feud culminated in a submission match at the 1990 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1990)
Royal Rumble was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 21, 1990 at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida....
. Garvin utilized the "Hammer Jammer" during the match, using it to "counter" Valentine's Figure Four Leglock when Valentine applied it on Garvin during the match. Jimmy Hart managed to remove the "Hammer Jammer" from Garvin's leg, after which Valentine systematically wore down Garvin's leg, but eventually lost after Garvin hit him with the Heartbreaker and applied a sharpshooter
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
, forcing Valentine to submit.
Shortly after, formed a tag team with The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
who was also managed by Jimmy Hart. For around eight months Valentine resisted dying his hair black (an idea of 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...
) but eventually relented and the team became known as Rhythm and Blues
Rhythm and Blues (professional wrestling)
The Rhythm & Blues was a tag team composed of The Honky Tonk Man and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in the World Wrestling Federation from 1988 to 1991 and later on in the independent circuit for a short run.-Background:...
and were managed by Hart. Rhythm and Blues feuded with The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers were a professional wrestling tag team that also competed as The Sheepherders during their long career. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions as well as a nearly 40 year run on the independent wrestling circuit...
and The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation referred to several teams or stables in the World Wrestling Federation , usually consisted of members or close friends of the Hart wrestling family from Canada....
, but were overshadowed by the Legion Of Doom
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
, who were by then dominating the tag division. Famously during the time of Rhythm and Blues, WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon
Gorilla Monsoon
Robert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
would proclaim every time Valentine got on the microphone and sang that "if you hung The Hammer for being a good singer you would hang an innocent person".
Valentine turned on Honky Tonk Man and became a face in December 1990. On January 19, 1991 Valentine participated in the fourth annual Royal Rumble match, where he lasted forty four minutes. He was to feud with his former partner, the Honky Tonk Man, but Honky left the WWF before the feud could begin. Valentine lost to Earthquake
John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta was a Canadian professional wrestler known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake and later Golga, and in World Championship Wrestling as Avalanche and The Shark.-Early life:John Tenta was born in Surrey, British Columbia...
at WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 24, 1991 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California...
, and was defeated again at SummerSlam 1991
SummerSlam (1991)
SummerSlam was the fourth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 26, 1991 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
by Irwin R. Schyster
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
. He participated in the 1992 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1992)
Royal Rumble was the fifth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 19, 1992 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York...
, where he attacked his old rival Ric Flair before being eliminated by Repo Man
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...
.
World Championship Wrestling (1992)
Conscious of his diminishing status, Valentine left the WWF and signed with World Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
in 1992. He formed a tag team with Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
for six months and the duo went on to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship
WCW United States Tag Team Championship
The WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag...
. After Taylor was fired, Valentine was left without an angle, and eventually resigned in late 1992 when he was asked to lose
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...
to Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
.
World Wrestling Federation (1993; 1994)
He reappeared in the WWF at the 1993 Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series (1993)
Survivor Series was the seventh annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 24, 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts...
under a mask as The Blue Knight in an elimination match pitting Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
(who was substituting for Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
) and his three "knights" (who also included Barry Horowitz
Barry Horowitz
Barry Horowitz is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:Horowitz, who is Jewish, attended Florida State University, where he studied sports nutrition and wrestled...
as the Red Knight and Jeff Gaylord
Jeff Gaylord
Jeff Gaylord is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in North American regional and independent promotions including Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation, World Class Championship Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association during the late 1980s and 1990s, most...
as the Black Knight) against the Hart Family. He would return again, as Greg Valentine, at the 1994 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1994)
Royal Rumble was the seventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 22, 1994 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The main event was the Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which...
, lasting over twenty minutes before being eliminated by Rick Martel
Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel...
.
Independent circuit (1994-present)
Valentine went on to tour the independent circuitIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
, wrestling in Japan, with the Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
based International Championship Wrestling promotion and with the American Wrestling Federation
American Wrestling Federation
The American Wrestling Federation was a national professional wrestling federation founded by Paul Alperstein.-History:Alperstein, a promoter from Chicago, founded the AWF in 1994 and was on-air president of the company....
. Starting in the summer of 1996, Valentine made several appearances with WCW over the course of the next two years. He was used on a pay-per-appearance basis, but was rarely utilized and was allowed to continue wrestling on the independent circuit. On October 10, 1999 he appeared on the infamous Heroes of Wrestling
Heroes of Wrestling
Heroes of Wrestling was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event that took place on October 10, 1999 from the Casino Magic hotel and casino in Bay St...
pay per view, pinning George "The Animal" Steele
George Steele
William James Myers , better known by his ring name George "The Animal" Steele is a former American professional wrestler and actor...
with the assistance of Sherri Martel
Sherri Martel
Sherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri....
. He wrestled on the 2000 tour of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in which Yokozuna
Rodney Anoa'i
Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan...
died. He was also involved with the short-lived X Wrestling Federation
X Wrestling Federation
Xtreme Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion. The organization's heyday was from early November of 2001 to late February of 2002. Its birth coincided with the World Wrestling Federation's acquisition of AOL Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling. XWF's slogan...
as an investor and as an in-ring performer. In the 2000s, he began reducing his independent dates in order to pursue a career in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
.
On January 29, 2005 at WrestleReunion
WrestleReunion
WrestleReunion is the premier professional wrestling and fan convention, founded by Sal Corrente in 2005.-WrestleReunion 1:...
, Valentine won a seventeen man 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...
to become the IWA Heavyweight Champion. He lost the title to 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...
at WrestleReunion #2 on August 27 of that year. Valentine also wrestled for several independent promotions, including AWA Superstars of Wrestling
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...
, which toured New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. In AWA Superstars of Wrestling, Valentine regularly wrestled Tony Atlas
Tony Atlas
Anthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr...
.
In Late 2007 Greg Valentine made an appearance in JCW or Juggalo Championship Wrestling reforming the Dream Team with Brutus Beefcake. in an 8 team elimination match for the then vacant JCW Tag-Team Titles
JCW Tag Team Championship
The JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Nine teams, comprising a total of eighteen wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of thirteen title reigns....
. Where they were the first team to be eliminated after a slightly botched sunset flip from Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
. Valentine was scheduled to face Lanny Poffo
Lanny Poffo
Lanny Mark Poffo , better known by his ring name "Leaping" Lanny is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American. He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage...
at Great North Wrestling's Randy "Macho Man" Savage tribute event in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada on September 3, 2011, but no-showed after being paid all of his appearance fee up front. This has seriously damaged his reputation and will affect him getting booked at independent shows in the future.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2004, 2005, 2008)
On March 13, 2004, Valentine was inducted into the WWE Hall of FameWWE 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...
by his former manager Jimmy Hart. The following night, at WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, Valentine received loud applause when the class of 2004 was introduced. Shortly after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Valentine dedicated the plaque he received to his late father by saying: "This one's for you pap, 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...
". On October 3, 2005, Valentine made an appearance at WWE Homecoming, and on October 23 he was defeated by Rob Conway (then using a gimmick similar to that of Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
's gimmick of "the legend killer") on an episode of WWE Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
after Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
interfered on his behalf, causing the referee to award a victory via disqualification to Conway. He was present at the Retirement Ceremony of his long-time friend, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, on the March 31, 2008 episode of WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
.
Personal life
Greg married Julie on February 14, 1995. He has 2 daughters, Vanessa and Romayne, from a previous marriage to his first wife, who once appeared on WWF TV in 1984 to give Valentine a back rub, which he claimed was the secret of his success. Vanessa began training with the Hart Brothers in the late 1990s. He is a born again Christian, and occasionally speaks at high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s with Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
. He is also a part of Christian wrestling organization, World Impact Wrestling. He is the brother-in-law to wrestler 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:...
.
Valentine once appeared on an episode of Hogan Knows Best
Hogan Knows Best
Hogan Knows Best is an American television show produced by Pink Sneakers Productions and centered on the family life of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan . Often focusing on the Hogans' raising of their children, and on Hulk Hogan's attempts to manage and assist in his children's burgeoning careers...
as one of Hulk's party guests.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Figure four leglock, sometimes with a shin guardShin guardA shin guard or shin pad is a piece of equipment worn on the front of a player’s shin to protect them from injury. These are commonly used in sports including association football, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, cricket, and other sports...
on his calfCalf (anatomy)In human anatomy the calf is the back portion of the lower leg . In terms of muscle systems, the calf corresponds to the posterior compartment of the leg. Within the posterior compartment, the two largest muscles are known together as the calf muscle and attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon...
to amplify the effects of the move
- Figure four leglock, sometimes with a shin guard
- Signature moves
- Elbow drop
- Hip toss
- With The Honky Tonk ManThe Honky Tonk ManRoy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
- Double belly to back suplex
- 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...
- Skandor Akbar
- Captain Lou AlbanoLou AlbanoLouis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995....
- Grand WizardErnie RothErnie Roth , best known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, also well known as Abdullah Farouk, was a professional wrestling manager of many infamous heels...
- Jimmy HartJimmy HartJames "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
- Sir Oliver HumperdinkOliver HumperdinkJohn Sutton , better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:...
- Luxurious Lynne
- MadusaDebra MiceliDebrah Ann Miceli is a Monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is best known under her ring names Madusa or Alundra Blayze. Her early career was spent in the American Wrestling Association, where she held the AWA World Women's Championship one time...
- Rico Suave
- Johnny ValiantJohn L. Sullivan (wrestler)John L. Sullivan is a retired professional wrestler better known as Johnny Valiant. He competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation , which became the World Wrestling Federation during his time with the promotion. He won the World Tag Team Championship two times...
- Darren Wise
- "Mr. Terrific" Tim Lawler
- Larry SweeneyLarry SweeneyAlexander K. Whybrow was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney...
- Nicknames
- "The Hammer"
- "Boxcar"
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe 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...
- AWA Midwest Tag Team ChampionshipAWA Midwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship was a title in the American Wrestling Association from 1967 until 1971. It was for mid-level wrestlers and was mostly defended in the Omaha, Nebraska area.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Jerry Miller
- AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship
- American Wrestling FederationAmerican Wrestling FederationThe American Wrestling Federation was a national professional wrestling federation founded by Paul Alperstein.-History:Alperstein, a promoter from Chicago, founded the AWF in 1994 and was on-air president of the company....
- AWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tommy RichTommy RichThomas 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:...
- AWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tommy Rich
- Bad Boys of Wrestling
- BBOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International World Class Championship WrestlingInternational World Class Championship WrestlingInternational World Class Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was promoted by Angelo Savoldi and his sons Mario, Tom, and Joseph Savoldi....
- IWCCW Heavyweight ChampionshipIWCCW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe ICW / IWCCW Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship of International World Class Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1995 where IWCCW closed down operations...
(1 time)
- IWCCW Heavyweight Championship
- International Wrestling Association
- IWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- 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 Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (1 time)
- Mid-Atlantic Championship WrestlingJim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
/ World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld 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...
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in Jim Crockett Promotions , a territory-promotion governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . The title was only contestable by male individual wrestlers...
(2 times) - NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship is the tag team title currently defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) - with Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world.... - NWA Mid-Atlantic Television ChampionshipWCW World Television ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling....
(2 times) - NWA Television ChampionshipWCW World Television ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling....
(2 times) - NWA United States Heavyweight ChampionshipWWE United States ChampionshipThe WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
(3 times)1 - NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(4 times) - with Baron Von RaschkeJames RaschkeJames Donald Raschke is a retired professional wrestler best known as Baron von Raschke.-Career:...
(1), Ray StevensRay Stevens (wrestler)Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
(1), and Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
(2) - WCW United States Tag Team ChampionshipWCW United States Tag Team ChampionshipThe WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag...
(1 time) - with Terry TaylorTerry TaylorTerry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
- 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...
- NWA North American Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA North American Heavyweight Championship is the second most prestigious title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was created in 1994 after World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the NWA. There were other versions of this title before this one was created...
(1 time)
- NWA North American Heavyweight Championship
- NWA Hollywood WrestlingNational 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 Americas Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Americas Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, known officially as NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 until the promotion closed in 1982. The title was first established in 1967 as a secondary championship in...
(2 times) - NWA Beat the Champ Television Championship (2 times)
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship
- North State Wrestling Alliance
- NSWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The Honky Tonk ManThe Honky Tonk ManRoy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
- NSWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The Honky Tonk Man
- NWA TexasNational 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 North American Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA North American Heavyweight Championship is the second most prestigious title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was created in 1994 after World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the NWA. There were other versions of this title before this one was created...
(1 time)
- NWA North American Heavyweight Championship
- NWA Tri-State
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)The NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship was a tag team title created in 1962, and contested in the National Wrestling Alliance's Tri-State territory, which was promoted by Leroy McGuirk and Jack Curtis and Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
(2 times) - with Bill WattsBill WattsWilliam F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
(1) and Gorgeous George, Jr. (1)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)
- NWA Western States SportsNational 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 Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Western States Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, NWA Western States Sports....
(1 time) - with Don Fargo
- NWA Western States Tag Team Championship
- 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 World Tag Team ChampionshipNWF World Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWF World Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in the National Wrestling Federation from 1970 to 1974, the entire life of the promotion.-Title history:...
(2 times) - with Don Fargo
- NWF World Tag Team Championship
- Portland Wrestling
- Portland Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Professional Wrestling Federation
- PWF 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 Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1975, 1979, 1983)
- PWI ranked him #119 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Pro Wrestling Ohio
- PWO Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jim NeidhartJim NeidhartJames Henry "Jim" Neidhart is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim is the father of WWE Diva Natalya...
- PWO Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jim Neidhart
- Pro Wrestling Revolution
- PWR Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Windy City Pro Wrestling
- WCPW League Heavyweight Championship (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....
- WWC Caribbean Heavyweight ChampionshipWWC Caribbean Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council ....
(1 time) - WWC Universal Heavyweight ChampionshipWWC Universal Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. The championship was established in July 1982, as the WWC World Heavyweight...
(1 time)
- WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld 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 Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(1 time) - WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brutus BeefcakeEdward LeslieEdward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
- WWE Hall of FameWWE Hall of FameThe 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...
(Class of 2004)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship
1Valentine actually won the title three times, but WWE only recognizes him as a two time champion.