Jerry Flynn
Encyclopedia
William Brenneman is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name
Jerry Flynn. Known for his martial arts gimmick and "mullet
" hairstyle, he worked in Japanese wrestling promotions
and for World Championship Wrestling
in the late 1990s.
. He made his debut in FMW in 1989. During this time, he befriended fellow student Michael Bollea, later known as Horace Hogan
. In 1991, Flynn debuted in the Japanese shoot style wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi
and remained there for a few years. This period also saw Flynn face Masakatsu Funaki
on the co-promotional SWS
/WWF
SuperWrestle card on December 12, 1991.
, a friend of road agent Paul Orndorff
, and Mark Starr
, who helped gain Flynn a tryout at Universal Studios Florida
for a WCW WorldWide
taping. He began performing regularly on WCW's secondary TV program, WCW Saturday Night
, in 1997 and by the following year was gaining numerous wins over low-card performers. Later that same year, he won a match elevating him to Monday Nitro
, the company's flagship program. He then became a member of The First Family
, a heel
stable managed by Jimmy Hart
. However, an injury Flynn sustained led to the eventual disestablishment of the group.
Flynn also performed outside of WCW during this time. He wrestled on a tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling
in 1999 and claimed to have been well received in the promotion. On September 19, 2000 in Tampa, Florida
, he also unsuccessfully faced Mike Rapada
in a tournament final for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
.
In time, Flynn became a preliminary WCW wrestler in 1998 and 1999. He had a short-lived feud with Ernest "The Cat" Miller
where Flynn defeated Miller and Sonny Onoo in a handicap match at the Uncensored pay-per-view. Later that year, he unsuccessfully participated in the Junkyard Invitational at Bash at the Beach. He then began a feud with mixed martial arts
fighter Tank Abbott
which Flynn later expressed enthusiasm for. During this time, Flynn's persona emphasized his shootfighting
skills including a "shootfight rules" match against The Wall
on Thunder
. His feud with Abbott culminated at Souled Out 2000 where Abbott defeated him via knock-out in a mere 1:39.
in taekwondo
, and he briefly owned and operated his own school of martial arts.
Presently, Flynn works as a coal mine foreman outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota with former manager Dan Thompson.
Flynn also fought mixed martial arts
in the WCC (World Combat Championship) losing to Fred Floyd in an alternate bout.
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:...
Jerry Flynn. Known for his martial arts gimmick and "mullet
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
" hairstyle, he worked in Japanese wrestling promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
and for 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...
in the late 1990s.
Professional wrestling
Jerry Flynn's professional wrestling career began with training under Boris MalenkoBoris Malenko
Lawrence J. Simon better known by his ring name Boris Malenko, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled for the American Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s and 1970s...
. He made his debut in FMW in 1989. During this time, he befriended fellow student Michael Bollea, later known as Horace Hogan
Horace Hogan
Michael Bollea is an American professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known by his ring name, Horace Hogan. He is the nephew of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and cousin of the late Mike Awesome....
. In 1991, Flynn debuted in the Japanese shoot style wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi
Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi
Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Group was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion based in Japan, operating from 1991 to 1995...
and remained there for a few years. This period also saw Flynn face Masakatsu Funaki
Masakatsu Funaki
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, PWFG, as well as the UWF. He is currently performing at All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is one half of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champions, along with Keiji Mutoh...
on the co-promotional SWS
Super World of Sports
Super World of Sports, more commonly known as SWS, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion from 1990 to 1992. Its motto was "STRAIGHT AND STRONG".-Formation:...
/WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
SuperWrestle card on December 12, 1991.
World Championship Wrestling
By the mid '90s, Flynn had worked as a jobber for the WWF, performing in a few house shows before making his way into WCW with help from Brian BlairBrian Blair
Brian Leslie Blair is a local politician in Florida, who gained fame as a professional wrestler especially as a part of the Killer Bees.-Career:...
, a friend of road agent Paul Orndorff
Paul Orndorff
Paul Parlette Orndorff, Jr. is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling as "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff...
, and Mark Starr
Mark Starr
Mark Ashford-Smith is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Mark Starr. He has competed as a member of several tag teams.-Wrestling career:Starr competed in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association...
, who helped gain Flynn a tryout at Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is an American theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and...
for a WCW 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...
taping. He began performing regularly on WCW's secondary TV program, WCW Saturday Night
WCW 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 1997 and by the following year was gaining numerous wins over low-card performers. Later that same year, he won a match elevating him to Monday 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...
, the company's flagship program. He then became a member of The First Family
The First Family (professional wrestling)
The First Family was the name of two professional wrestling stables led by Jimmy Hart, first in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association, then in the late 1990s in World Championship Wrestling.-CWA stable:...
, a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
stable 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...
. However, an injury Flynn sustained led to the eventual disestablishment of the group.
Flynn also performed outside of WCW during this time. He wrestled on a tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
in 1999 and claimed to have been well received in the promotion. On September 19, 2000 in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, he also unsuccessfully faced Mike Rapada
Mike Rapada
Michael Rapada best known as "The Colorado Kid" Mike Rapada is an American professional wrestler.-Career:Mike Rapada started out in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It took three months, but eventually he convinced Jeff Jarrett to hire him...
in a tournament final for 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...
.
In time, Flynn became a preliminary WCW wrestler in 1998 and 1999. He had a short-lived feud 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....
where Flynn defeated Miller and Sonny Onoo in a handicap match at the Uncensored pay-per-view. Later that year, he unsuccessfully participated in the Junkyard Invitational at Bash at the Beach. He then began a feud with mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
fighter Tank Abbott
Tank Abbott
David Lee Abbott is an American mixed martial arts fighter and former professional wrestler. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "street fighting"...
which Flynn later expressed enthusiasm for. During this time, Flynn's persona emphasized his shootfighting
Shootfighting
Shootfighting is a combat sport and martial art, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association . Shootfighting incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principle of these being Muay Thai and Catch Wrestling.Shootfighting was...
skills including a "shootfight rules" match against The Wall
Jerry Tuite
Jerry Tuite was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring names, The Wall in World Championship Wrestling and Malice while performing for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Career:...
on Thunder
Thunder
Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble . The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within...
. His feud with Abbott culminated at Souled Out 2000 where Abbott defeated him via knock-out in a mere 1:39.
Outside of wrestling
Jerry Flynn is a legitimate black beltBlack belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, and he briefly owned and operated his own school of martial arts.
Presently, Flynn works as a coal mine foreman outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota with former manager Dan Thompson.
Flynn also fought mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
in the WCC (World Combat Championship) losing to Fred Floyd in an alternate bout.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Savate kick
- Signature moves
- Ankle lock
- Cross armbreaker
- Hook kick
- Shoot kick
- Spin kick
- ManagerManager (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...
s- 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...
- Dan Thompson
- Jimmy Hart
- 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- "Lightning Foot"
Championships and accomplishments
- 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 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 Universal Heavyweight Championship
- Other titles
- SWA Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
- IWF Heavyweight Champion (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 ranked him #242 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1999
See also
- The First FamilyThe First Family (professional wrestling)The First Family was the name of two professional wrestling stables led by Jimmy Hart, first in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association, then in the late 1990s in World Championship Wrestling.-CWA stable:...