Kurt Beyer
Encyclopedia
Kurt Beyer is a semi-retired American professional wrestler who competed in Japanese and international promotions during the 1990s, most notably teaming with his father The Destroyer (Dick Beyer
) during his last tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling
in 1993.
, Beyer was raised in Akron
and later accompanied his father as he toured the country with the National Wrestling Alliance
during the 1960s. Growing up around wrestlers such as brothers Maurice
& Paul Vachon
, Red Bastien
, George Steele
Nick Bockwinkel
and his uncle Billy Red Lyons
, he would at one point have to be looked after by the time keeper after twice jumping the guardrail to help his father during a match against Mr. Moto
in 1964.
Later, moving to Tokyo, Japan when his father began wrestling full time for All Japan Pro Wrestling
, he would later become involved in amateur wrestling and won the Far East Heavyweight Championship in 1979.
After graduating from the University of San Francisco
, Beyer became involved in journalism, eventually becoming a writer and editor for The Daily Yomiuri as well as working in advertising for the Tokyo-based corporation Odyssey, Inc.
at All Japan Professional Wrestling dojo. One of the few foreigners allowed to attend the dojo, the school is well known for its strict training schedules which included 1,000+ sit-ups, 500 back extensions, 1,000+ push-ups, 500 squats, hours of sparring and 300 to 500 "bumps" (body slams, back drops, etc.), daily.
Making his debut in All-Japan Pro Wrestling in January 1993, he began wrestling regularly at Tokyo's Budokan Hall
feuding with Dory Funk, Jr.
losing to him on February 28 and, teaming with Al Perez
, lost to Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas
on June 1, 1993.
The ultimate highlight of Kurt Beyer's professional wrestling career came when he served as The Destroyer's tag-team partner for his father's last three matches in Kanagawa, Yokohama and, finally, Tokyo defeating Masao Inoue
, Haruka Eigen and Masa Fuchi
in a 6-man tag team match with The Destroyer and Giant Baba at a sold-out Budokan arena on July 29, 1993. The match, which featured the first father-son tag team match in Japanese wrestling history, was extensively covered by the Japanese media.
The following year, he participated in the 1994 Summer Action Series as part of the 10-man American contingent which included Tom Zenk
, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy
and his nephew Richard Slinger
, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, The Eagle, Johnny Smith, Abdullah the Butcher
, Giant Kimala II and Johnny Ace
. During the series, he and Zenk lost to Terry Gordy and Richard Slinger in front of a sold out 2,700 crowd in Kurashiki
on July 19 and, two days later, lost to Tom Zenk in a singles match at the Korakuen Hall.
Teaming with Zenk, the two would lose to Jun Akiyama
& Tamon Honda
at the Shimazu Gym on June 22. Beyer then teamed with Terry Gordy and Richard Slinger in a 6-man tag team match, defeating Tom Zenk, The Eagle and Johnny Smith at Budokan Hall on July 28 in the final event of the tour.
During the 1990s, he also feuded with Franz Schumann
over the CWA Middleweight Championship while in the Catch Wrestling Association
before losing to Schumann in Bremen, Germany.
on July 12, 2003. The show would also feature "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
, The Barbarian and manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
.
The following year, Beyer competed in a match at the Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium
in South Bend on July 10, 2004 and, the following year, lost in a rematch to Andy Chene on June 25, 2005.
Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
) during his last tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
in 1993.
Early life
Born in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, 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...
, Beyer was raised in Akron
Akron, New York
Akron, New York is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was listed as 3,085 in the 2000 census. The name means a high place. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and later accompanied his father as he toured the country with 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...
during the 1960s. Growing up around wrestlers such as brothers Maurice
Maurice Vachon
Maurice Vachon is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon...
& Paul Vachon
Paul Vachon
Paul "Butcher" Vachon is a former professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family.-Professional wrestling career:Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer...
, Red Bastien
Red Bastien
Rolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...
, George Steele
George Steele
William James Myers , better known by his ring name George "The Animal" Steele is a former American professional wrestler and actor...
Nick Bockwinkel
Nick Bockwinkel
Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel is a retired American professional wrestler. He mainly competed in the American Wrestling Association in the United States...
and his uncle Billy Red Lyons
Billy Red Lyons
William Snip was a Canadian professional wrestler, who used the stage name Billy Red Lyons. He was an active wrestler between 1956 and 1984, and won numerous championship throughout his career. He worked for promotions in both Canada and the United States, particularly in Ontario, California,...
, he would at one point have to be looked after by the time keeper after twice jumping the guardrail to help his father during a match against Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death...
in 1964.
Later, moving to Tokyo, Japan when his father began wrestling full time for All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
, he would later become involved in amateur wrestling and won the Far East Heavyweight Championship in 1979.
After graduating from the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, Beyer became involved in journalism, eventually becoming a writer and editor for The Daily Yomiuri as well as working in advertising for the Tokyo-based corporation Odyssey, Inc.
Career
In 1990, the then 30-year-old Beyer left Tokyo and began training at his father's wrestling school The Destroyer Pro-Wrestling Academy in New York and later under Kenta KobashiKenta Kobashi
Not to be confused with his protégé Kenta Kobayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently under contract to Pro Wrestling Noah. He worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988–2000, where he became one of the promotion's top stars....
at All Japan Professional Wrestling dojo. One of the few foreigners allowed to attend the dojo, the school is well known for its strict training schedules which included 1,000+ sit-ups, 500 back extensions, 1,000+ push-ups, 500 squats, hours of sparring and 300 to 500 "bumps" (body slams, back drops, etc.), daily.
Making his debut in All-Japan Pro Wrestling in January 1993, he began wrestling regularly at Tokyo's Budokan Hall
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
feuding with Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Ernest Funk Jr. known professionally as Dory Funk, Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional...
losing to him on February 28 and, teaming with Al Perez
Al Perez
Al Perez is a retired American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:Perez began wrestling as an amateur in high school and was one of the top athletes in his home state of Florida. He started professional wrestling in 1982.He formed a team in ICW with Joe Savoldi known as the "New...
, lost to Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas
Doug Furnas
Doug Furnas is a former American professional wrestler and powerlifter. Furnas briefly worked for World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s...
on June 1, 1993.
The ultimate highlight of Kurt Beyer's professional wrestling career came when he served as The Destroyer's tag-team partner for his father's last three matches in Kanagawa, Yokohama and, finally, Tokyo defeating Masao Inoue
Masao Inoue
is a professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah as a member of Dark Agents. He has previously worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling.-All Japan Pro Wrestling:...
, Haruka Eigen and Masa Fuchi
Masanobu Fuchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for All Japan Pro Wrestling as a full-time wrestler, as well as a director. Fuchi holds the record for the longest AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign and has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling longer than any wrestler on the...
in a 6-man tag team match with The Destroyer and Giant Baba at a sold-out Budokan arena on July 29, 1993. The match, which featured the first father-son tag team match in Japanese wrestling history, was extensively covered by the Japanese media.
The following year, he participated in the 1994 Summer Action Series as part of the 10-man American contingent which included Tom Zenk
Tom Zenk
Thomas Erwin "Tom" Zenk is a former Mr. Minnesota Bodybuilder, and most notably a American professional wrestler, also known by his nickname Z-Man.-Early career:...
, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy
Terry Gordy
Terry Ray 'Bam Bam' Gordy, Sr. was a professional wrestler who was best known in North America for being a member of the Fabulous Freebirds.-Career:...
and his nephew Richard Slinger
Richard Slinger
Richard Aslinger is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Richard Slinger, who was a longtime mainstay of All Japan Pro Wrestling and later Pro Wrestling Noah where he is one of two gaijin heels to compete in the promotion...
, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, The Eagle, Johnny Smith, Abdullah the Butcher
Abdullah the Butcher
Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time...
, Giant Kimala II and Johnny Ace
Johnny Ace
Johnny Ace , born John Marshall Alexander, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, was an American rhythm and blues singer. He scored a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s before dying of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound....
. During the series, he and Zenk lost to Terry Gordy and Richard Slinger in front of a sold out 2,700 crowd in Kurashiki
Kurashiki, Okayama
is a historic city located to the west of Okayama Prefecture, Japan, sitting on the Takahashi River, on the coast of the Inland Sea.As of April 2010, the city has a population of 473,392. The total area is .-History:...
on July 19 and, two days later, lost to Tom Zenk in a singles match at the Korakuen Hall.
Teaming with Zenk, the two would lose to Jun Akiyama
Jun Akiyama
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah and All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. Akiyama is known for his serious style and outstanding, time-tested work as a tag team wrestler...
& Tamon Honda
Tamon Honda
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is currently a freelancer, he most recently worked for Pro Wrestling Noah.-1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Olympics:Honda represented Japan in three Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling in 1984, 1988, and 1992...
at the Shimazu Gym on June 22. Beyer then teamed with Terry Gordy and Richard Slinger in a 6-man tag team match, defeating Tom Zenk, The Eagle and Johnny Smith at Budokan Hall on July 28 in the final event of the tour.
During the 1990s, he also feuded with Franz Schumann
Franz Schumann
Franz Schumann is a retired Austrian professional wrestler, who was well known for his stint in Catch Wrestling Association.-Life and career:Born on December 27, 1960 in Linz, Austria, Franz Schumann had been a natural wrestler, as he had won several national championships in Austria...
over the CWA Middleweight Championship while in the Catch Wrestling Association
Catch Wrestling Association
The 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...
before losing to Schumann in Bremen, Germany.
Recent years
Returning to the United States during the early 2000s, he made several appearances appearing with IAW Wrestling winning the IAW Television Championship from "Flying" Andy Chene in late 2002 before losing the title back to Chene at the supercard "Clash at the Cove" in South Bend, IndianaSouth Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
on July 12, 2003. The show would also feature "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
, The Barbarian and manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
.
The following year, Beyer competed in a match at the Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium
Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium
Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium is a baseball stadium in South Bend, Indiana, home to the South Bend Silver Hawks, a minor league baseball team which plays in the Class-A Midwest League. The stadium opened in 1987, and its open concourse is considered the template for many later minor league...
in South Bend on July 10, 2004 and, the following year, lost in a rematch to Andy Chene on June 25, 2005.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Figure four leglock
- Signature moves
-
- Flying Shoulder Block
- Fisherman suplex
- Slingshot crossbody