Harold Hoag
Encyclopedia
Harold F. Hoag is an American
former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling
, where he wrestled under the ring name
s Ice Train and M.I. Smooth.
, Hoag made his World Championship Wrestling
debut under the ring name Ice Train by winning a handicap match. He later made his pay-per-view
debut at the first-ever Fall Brawl event, where he defeated Shanghai Pierce
. Hoag then teamed up with The Shockmaster
and Charlie Norris
and defeated Harlem Heat
and The Equalizer at Halloween Havoc. However, Hoag's undefeated streak was broken after losing to Ron Simmons
at Clash of the Champions on January 27, 1994.
in a match against Scott Norton
. The match ended in a double countout when both men clotheslined each other, knocking themselves out in the process. After the match, the two shook hands and Norton declared to announcer Gene Okerlund
that he and Ice Train would become a formidable tag team because of their similar in-ring styles. The team was quickly named Fire and Ice with Norton representing "Fire" and Ice Train eponym
ously representing "Ice". The team easily overpowered numerous teams as they tried to establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the WCW World Tag Team Championship
. At Slamboree: Lord of the Ring, Ice Train and Norton were "randomly selected" to be on the same team and they easily defeated the makeshift team of "Big" Bubba Rogers
and Stevie Ray
in the first round of the Lethal Lottery tournament. After winning their match, both Ice Train and Norton advanced to the final round and competed in an eight-man battle royal, but neither was successful as Diamond Dallas Page
eliminated both men and went on to win the Lethal Lottery tournament, earning a title shot in the process.
Soon afterward, Fire and Ice began feuding
with Norton's longtime rivals, The Steiner Brothers
. After wrestling to a double countout on two separate occasions, the two teams faced off at the Great American Bash on June 16 to determine who would become the number one contenders to the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Scott Steiner
pinned Norton after a Frankensteiner to earn the win for his team as well as the number one contendership. After the loss, Fire and Ice continued feuding with the Steiners, with the two powerhouse teams trying to prove who was best. After a sudden loss to The Rock 'n' Roll Express on an episode of Main Event
before Bash at the Beach
, dissension started to appear between Fire and Ice as Norton attacked Ice Train after another team loss. The team finally imploded when Norton faced and defeated Ice Train at Hog Wild on August 10 in a submission match after Norton made Ice Train submit to an armbar. However, Ice Train defeated Norton in a submission rematch on September 15 at Fall Brawl, when Norton submitted to a full nelson.
on the November 4, 1996 edition of Nitro
and lost a rematch to Page on the following week's edition of Nitro. Ice Train then competed at World War 3, eliminating Mark Starr and Villano IV
and even made it into the final ten, but he was eliminated from the match due to the combined efforts of Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page
. After World War 3, Ice Train returned to the undercard and gained Theodore Long
as his manager
for a very brief period. Ice Train began easily defeating opponents on Nitro and he soon became a mainstay and fixture on Pro
for the rest of 1996 up until 1998 when Pro was cancelled. However, he soon continued his undercard role on Pros replacement WorldWide
as well as on Thunder
.
as well as a part-time competitor. Smooth regularly appeared in segments with various members of the New Blood. In early 2001, Smooth began a very minor feud with fellow New Blood member Kanyon
by brawling with him after a typical New Blood segment. On the March 19, 2001 edition of Nitro
, Kanyon defeated Smooth. However, Smooth gained revenge two days later on Thunder as he teamed up with Ernest "The Cat" Miller
to defeat Kanyon and Road Warrior Animal
. Five days later, WCW broadcasted its final edition of Nitro due to the company being bought out by the World Wrestling Federation
, although Hoag would not be affected as he retired from wrestling soon after the merger.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, where he wrestled under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Ice Train and M.I. Smooth.
Debut
Hoag made his wrestling debut in 1990. On the July 7, 1993 edition of WorldWideWCW WorldWide
WCW WorldWide was a syndicated TV show produced by World Championship Wrestling.-Wide World Wrestling:The show began in 1975 , a syndicated one-hour program produced by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions...
, Hoag made his World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
debut under the ring name Ice Train by winning a handicap match. He later made his pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
debut at the first-ever Fall Brawl event, where he defeated Shanghai Pierce
Mark Canterbury
Mark Canterbury is an American professional wrestler, best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Henry O. Godwinn.-Career:...
. Hoag then teamed up with The Shockmaster
Fred Ottman
Fred Ottman is a retired American professional wrestler best known as Tugboat or Typhoon and teaming with John "Earthquake" Tenta as The Natural Disasters in the World Wrestling Federation. Ottman is also well-known for his infamous "Shockmaster" gimmick in World Championship Wrestling...
and Charlie Norris
Charlie Norris
Charlie Norris is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in North American promotions as well as the World Championship Wrestling during the early 1990s.-Career:...
and defeated Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
and The Equalizer at Halloween Havoc. However, Hoag's undefeated streak was broken after losing to Ron Simmons
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
at Clash of the Champions on January 27, 1994.
Fire and Ice
After being absent from WCW for the rest of 1994 and all of 1995, Hoag returned to WCW on the February 14, 1996 edition of Saturday NightWCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
in a match against Scott Norton
Scott Norton
Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
. The match ended in a double countout when both men clotheslined each other, knocking themselves out in the process. After the match, the two shook hands and Norton declared to announcer Gene Okerlund
Gene Okerlund
Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund is a semi-retired American professional wrestling interviewer and announcer. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan...
that he and Ice Train would become a formidable tag team because of their similar in-ring styles. The team was quickly named Fire and Ice with Norton representing "Fire" and Ice Train eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ously representing "Ice". The team easily overpowered numerous teams as they tried to establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the WCW World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
. At Slamboree: Lord of the Ring, Ice Train and Norton were "randomly selected" to be on the same team and they easily defeated the makeshift team of "Big" Bubba Rogers
Ray Traylor
Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
and Stevie Ray
Lane Huffman
Lane Steven Huffman is a retired American professional wrestler who is better known as Stevie Ray. He is best known as being part of the tag team Harlem Heat with his younger brother Booker T...
in the first round of the Lethal Lottery tournament. After winning their match, both Ice Train and Norton advanced to the final round and competed in an eight-man battle royal, but neither was successful as Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
eliminated both men and went on to win the Lethal Lottery tournament, earning a title shot in the process.
Soon afterward, Fire and Ice 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 Norton's longtime rivals, The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner...
. After wrestling to a double countout on two separate occasions, the two teams faced off at the Great American Bash on June 16 to determine who would become the number one contenders to the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
pinned Norton after a Frankensteiner to earn the win for his team as well as the number one contendership. After the loss, Fire and Ice continued feuding with the Steiners, with the two powerhouse teams trying to prove who was best. After a sudden loss to The Rock 'n' Roll Express on an episode of Main Event
WCW Main Event
WCW Main Event is a televised wrestling program of World Championship Wrestling that aired from 1988 to 1998. For most of its run, it was the promotion's secondary show and aired on Sunday evenings on TBS. The show originally aired in 1988 as NWA Main Event...
before Bash at the Beach
Bash at the Beach (1996)
Bash at the Beach was the third annual Bash at the Beach professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling . It took place on July 7, 1996 from the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida...
, dissension started to appear between Fire and Ice as Norton attacked Ice Train after another team loss. The team finally imploded when Norton faced and defeated Ice Train at Hog Wild on August 10 in a submission match after Norton made Ice Train submit to an armbar. However, Ice Train defeated Norton in a submission rematch on September 15 at Fall Brawl, when Norton submitted to a full nelson.
Return to singles competition
After the implosion of Fire and Ice, Ice Train returned to singles competition in a loss to Diamond Dallas PageDiamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
on the November 4, 1996 edition of Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
and lost a rematch to Page on the following week's edition of Nitro. Ice Train then competed at World War 3, eliminating Mark Starr and Villano IV
Villano IV
Thomas Díaz Mendoza is a Mexican professional wrestler. Within the stable Los Villanos, he has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association , Asistencia Asesoría y Administración , and World Championship Wrestling . While popular and successful in Mexico, he frequently performed as a jobber in WCW...
and even made it into the final ten, but he was eliminated from the match due to the combined efforts of Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page
The Insiders (professional wrestling)
The Insiders were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling composed of Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash.-Vegas Connection :...
. After World War 3, Ice Train returned to the undercard and gained Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
as 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...
for a very brief period. Ice Train began easily defeating opponents on Nitro and he soon became a mainstay and fixture on Pro
WCW Pro
WCW Pro was a televised wrestling show presented by World Championship Wrestling. Along with WCW WorldWide, it was part of the WCW Disney tapings...
for the rest of 1996 up until 1998 when Pro was cancelled. However, he soon continued his undercard role on Pros replacement WorldWide
WCW WorldWide
WCW WorldWide was a syndicated TV show produced by World Championship Wrestling.-Wide World Wrestling:The show began in 1975 , a syndicated one-hour program produced by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions...
as well as on Thunder
WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
.
The New Blood and retirement
On February 8, 2000, Hoag was again pushed into the spotlight as he became a member of the New Blood faction, who feuded with the Millionaire's Club. Hoag was renamed M.I. Smooth and he soon became one of the faction's numerous 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...
as well as a part-time competitor. Smooth regularly appeared in segments with various members of the New Blood. In early 2001, Smooth began a very minor feud with fellow New Blood member Kanyon
Chris Kanyon
Christopher Klucsarits was an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring names Chris Kanyon and Mortis.-Early career:After college, he began training under Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena and Bobby...
by brawling with him after a typical New Blood segment. On the March 19, 2001 edition of Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
, Kanyon defeated Smooth. However, Smooth gained revenge two days later on Thunder as he teamed up with Ernest "The Cat" Miller
Ernest Miller
Ernest Clifford Miller is an American actor and former professional wrestler who worked for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment better known by his ring name, Ernest "The Cat" Miller....
to defeat Kanyon and Road Warrior Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
. Five days later, WCW broadcasted its final edition of Nitro due to the company being bought out by 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...
, although Hoag would not be affected as he retired from wrestling soon after the merger.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Train Wreck (Jumping splash, sometimes from the second rope)
- As M.I. Smooth
- Full nelson bomb
- Signature moves
- Belly to belly suplex
- Body avalanche
- Full nelson slam
- PowerbombPowerbombA powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
- Scoop powerslam
- Seated senton
- Single leg Boston crab / Ankle lock combination
- With Scott NortonScott NortonScott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
- Flashbreaker (Norton) followed by the Train Wreck (Ice Train)
- Double shoulder block
- 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...
- Theodore LongTheodore LongTheodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
- Theodore Long
- Wrestlers managed
- The New Blood
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "Choo Choo"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Nah Neh NahNah Neh Nah"Nah Neh Nah" is a jazz-rock song by Belgian band Vaya Con Dios. It was released in 1990 as the first single from the band's second studio album, Night Owls.-Track listings:*;7" single#"Nah Neh Nah" – 2:52#"Pack Your Memories" – 3:04*;12" single...
" by Vaya Con DiosVaya Con Dios (band)Vaya Con Dios is a Belgian musical group founded in 1986 by Dani Klein, Dirk Schoufs, and Willy Lambregt . Their name is Spanish for "Go with God"...
(CWACatch Wrestling AssociationThe Catch Wrestling Association was a professional wrestling organization based in Austria and Germany and was founded in 1973. It was formerly run by famous AWA champion Otto Wanz. The CWA featured a traditional brand of mat wrestling mixed with various “Strong Man” competitions...
)
- "Nah Neh Nah
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #221 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993