Ron Hutchinson
Encyclopedia
Ron Hutchinson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, trainer and promoter who competed for Canadian independent promotions such as Grand Prix Wrestling
and Maple Leaf Wrestling
as well as a brief stint in the World Wrestling Federation
during the mid-1980s. He is also the promoter of the Toronto-based Apocalypse Wrestling Federation and the head trainer of Carmen Electra
's Naked Women's Wrestling League
.
The owner of the Ron Hutchinson Wrestling Academy at Sully's Gym and co-owner of Sweet Daddy Siki and Ron Hutchinson's School of Wrestling, he is also credited as one of the leading trainers of professional wrestlers in Canada whose students include Christian
, Edge
, Trish Stratus
, Gail Kim
, Traci Brooks
, Tiger Ali Singh, Johnny Swinger, Mad Dog Rex, [David Rebello- David Diamond], Joe E. Legend
, The Original Sinn
and Asylum.
. In 1981, while still attending Northern Secondary
high school, the 17-year-old Hutchinson began training with Sweet Daddy Siki
and Johnny Powers
at Sully's Gym.
Training part-time for two years, he would wrestle his first professional match with Danny Little Wolf defeating Teddy Marshall and Joey War Eagle at Scarboro Arena Gardens on June 5, 1983 and began wrestling for promoter "Bearman" Dave McKigney soon after his debut.
He would also wrestle for the WWF around Southern Ontario during the mid 1980s appearing in a televised match against the Iron Sheik on the WWF's Black Saturday
cards and regularly appeared on televised matches for Maple Leaf Wrestling
in Brantford, Ontario
. He would later face Jake "The Snake" Roberts
on April 26 and Dory Funk, Jr.
on May 10 while the WWF toured Ontario in 1986.
-affiliated territories in the Montreal and southern Ontario-area with Pro Wrestling Canada. For over three years, he would face wrestlers including Masahiro Chono
, Mr. Pogo, "Killer" Karl Krupp, Jos Leduc
, Frenchy Martin and Leo Burke
during his time in the Maritime provinces. He would also wrestle midget star Sky Low Low and "Monster Ripper" Rhonda Singh
in mixed tag team matches as well.
After touring Quebec with Leo Burke's International Wrestling promotion during 1986 and 1987, he returned to Grand Prix Wrestling as the masked wrestler The Intelligent and the Sensational Masked Thunderbolt as a member of "Bulldog" Bob Brown
stable Bulldog's Army feuding with Leo Burke, "Rotten" Ron Starr, The Great Malumba, Stephen Petitpas
, Vinnie Valentino, Cuban Assassin
, Sunny War Cloud and Buddy Lane for over two years.
and continued wrestling part-time during the semester, and full-time during the summer. When Johnny Powers left Sully's Gym, he was offered a position as an instructor by Siki who was impressed by his knowledge of amateur wrestling. After retiring in 1990, he remained at Sully's Gym after Siki left in 1994. Later opening a wrestling school with Siki, he would train many of Canada's top independent wrestlers throughout the 1990s, many of whom would later compete in the WWF and NWA: TNA.
In September 1997, Hutchinson would appear on a wrestling event promoted by Tiger Jeet Singh
in Middlesex, England with over 10,000 in attendance and later aired on PPV in India. During that year, he would also appear with WWF Canada President Carl DeMarco on CBC TV's teen talk show "Jonovision
" as well as a second appearance in September 1998 along with two students, Tiger Ali Singh and Jason Sensation.
would make her Canadian debut appearing at the supercard "A Valentine to Remember" on February 14 winning the AWF Heavyweight Championship in a mixed tag team match with Miss B. Haven against Sherri Martel
and the Squeegee Kid during the event. This would be the first wrestling event in which a woman would hold a men's wrestling title.
During that same year, he would also promote Terry Funk
's Canadian retirement match "One Last Dance" in which Funk would defeat Sabu on June 6, 1999. The following month, he would begin promoting the annual AWF Ironman Tournament in which over 100 matches would be booked in an 18-day period. The tournament, which would be held for the next four years, would feature matches from top Canadian independent wrestlers and, in 2002, the Canadian debuts of Jillian Hall
, Beth Phoenix
and Japanese female wrestler Sumie Sakai
.
's 8th Anniversary show at the Yokohama Bunka Gym
with promoter Chigusa Nagayo
.
He would later co-promote Carmen Electra
's female wrestling promotion, the Naked Women's Wrestling League
, serving as the promotion's head trainer and consultant in October 2003. As recently as 2005, he began training former reality TV star Mandy Weaver for a career in the promotion.
In October 2007, Hutchinson took part in a three-city tour of India
with Tiger Jeet Singh
's Universal Wrestling Stars, Incorporated and included American independent wrestlers Sonjay Dutt
, Steve Corino
, Jerry Lynn
, Don Paysan
as well as Canadian female wrestlers Kacey Diamond, Josianne the Pussycat and Portia Perez
.
While in Ludhiana, Punjab, Hutchinson was involved in an incident in which Russian wrestler Jason the Legend of Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE attempted to assault several Indian reporters during a press conference when the wrestlers were apparently told their tour was to be postponed. Throwing a table across the room, Jason had attempted to assault the reporters before being restrained by several wrestlers present. Although there were no reports of anyone injured, the Senior Superintendent of Police had reported that the wrestler's passports had been seized pending a police investigation. The incident would also be shown on Indian television such as Day Break
as well as being covered by the Daily India and The Times of India
.
Grand prix wrestling
Grand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
and Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
as well as a brief stint in 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...
during the mid-1980s. He is also the promoter of the Toronto-based Apocalypse Wrestling Federation and the head trainer of Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
's Naked Women's Wrestling League
Naked Women's Wrestling League
The Naked Women's Wrestling League, also known as NWWL, was an erotic professional wrestling promotion which features naked females battling in the ring. Carmen Electra acted as hostess for the organization until 2007, when she sued the company for breach of contract...
.
The owner of the Ron Hutchinson Wrestling Academy at Sully's Gym and co-owner of Sweet Daddy Siki and Ron Hutchinson's School of Wrestling, he is also credited as one of the leading trainers of professional wrestlers in Canada whose students include Christian
Jason Reso
William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...
, Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
, Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
, Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
, Traci Brooks
Tracy Brookshaw
Tracy Brookshaw is a Canadian professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and professional wrestling referee, better known by her ring name Traci Brooks. She is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she has spent most of her career.-Early life:Brookshaw grew up on a...
, Tiger Ali Singh, Johnny Swinger, Mad Dog Rex, [David Rebello- David Diamond], Joe E. Legend
Joe Hitchen
Joseph Edward "Joe" Hitchen is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Joe E. Legend.-Canadian independent circuit:...
, The Original Sinn
Nick Cvjetkovich
Nicholas "Nick" Cvjetkovich is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny.-Training and beginning:...
and Asylum.
Early life and career
Born in Toronto, Hutchinson became interested in professional wrestling at a young age watching The Shiek and Dewey RobertsonDewey Robertson
Byron James John "Dewey" Robertson was a professional wrestler, known best for his ring name The Missing Link....
. In 1981, while still attending Northern Secondary
Northern Secondary School
Northern Secondary School is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It teaches grades 9 through 12.Northern's football team, the Red Knights, have won numerous titles in Toronto's high school league...
high school, the 17-year-old Hutchinson began training with Sweet Daddy Siki
Sweet Daddy Siki
Reginald Siki is a former professional wrestler and was born on June 16 in Montgomery, Texas.Sweet Daddy Siki started wrestling in 1955 in Artesia, New Mexico. He also did some training in Los Angeles with Sandor Szabo and Ray Ortega...
and Johnny Powers
Johnny Powers
Johnny Powers is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, known by his legally changed ring name Johnny Powers...
at Sully's Gym.
Training part-time for two years, he would wrestle his first professional match with Danny Little Wolf defeating Teddy Marshall and Joey War Eagle at Scarboro Arena Gardens on June 5, 1983 and began wrestling for promoter "Bearman" Dave McKigney soon after his debut.
He would also wrestle for the WWF around Southern Ontario during the mid 1980s appearing in a televised match against the Iron Sheik on the WWF's Black Saturday
Black Saturday (1984)
In professional wrestling, Black Saturday refers to Saturday, July 14, 1984. On that date, Vince McMahon and his World Wrestling Federation took over the Saturday night time slot on Superstation WTBS that had been home to Georgia Championship Wrestling and its flagship weekly program, World...
cards and regularly appeared on televised matches for Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
in Brantford, Ontario
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
. He would later face Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
on April 26 and 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...
on May 10 while the WWF toured Ontario in 1986.
Grand Prix Wrestling
During the summer season, he also toured with Maritime-based Grand Prix Wrestling as well as National Wrestling AllianceNational 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...
-affiliated territories in the Montreal and southern Ontario-area with Pro Wrestling Canada. For over three years, he would face wrestlers including Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
, Mr. Pogo, "Killer" Karl Krupp, Jos Leduc
Jos LeDuc
Michel Pigeon was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Jos LeDuc. Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick, he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother, Paul LeDuc...
, Frenchy Martin and Leo Burke
Leo Burke
Leonce Cormier is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
during his time in the Maritime provinces. He would also wrestle midget star Sky Low Low and "Monster Ripper" Rhonda Singh
Rhonda Singh
Rhonda Ann Sing was a Canadian professional wrestler. After training with Mildred Burke, she wrestled in Japan under the name Monster Ripper. In 1987, she returned to Canada and began working with Stampede Wrestling, where she was their first Stampede Women's Champion...
in mixed tag team matches as well.
After touring Quebec with Leo Burke's International Wrestling promotion during 1986 and 1987, he returned to Grand Prix Wrestling as the masked wrestler The Intelligent and the Sensational Masked Thunderbolt as a member of "Bulldog" Bob Brown
Bob Brown (wrestler)
Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
stable Bulldog's Army feuding with Leo Burke, "Rotten" Ron Starr, The Great Malumba, Stephen Petitpas
Stephen Petitpas
Stephen Petitpas , is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Big" Stephen Petitpas.-Career:...
, Vinnie Valentino, Cuban Assassin
Cuban Assassin
Ángel Acevedo is a professional wrestler known by his ring name The Cuban Assassin and for his famous appearances with Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, Central States Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling....
, Sunny War Cloud and Buddy Lane for over two years.
Retirement
The same year he made his wrestling debut, he began attending Ryerson Polytechnical Institute studying journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and continued wrestling part-time during the semester, and full-time during the summer. When Johnny Powers left Sully's Gym, he was offered a position as an instructor by Siki who was impressed by his knowledge of amateur wrestling. After retiring in 1990, he remained at Sully's Gym after Siki left in 1994. Later opening a wrestling school with Siki, he would train many of Canada's top independent wrestlers throughout the 1990s, many of whom would later compete in the WWF and NWA: TNA.
In September 1997, Hutchinson would appear on a wrestling event promoted by Tiger Jeet Singh
Tiger Jeet Singh
Jagjit Singh Hans is a semi-retired professional wrestler, known better by his ring name Tiger Jeet Singh. He wrestled as a crazed heel, coming to the ring with a sword in his mouth . Singh wrestled in Japan for 22 years...
in Middlesex, England with over 10,000 in attendance and later aired on PPV in India. During that year, he would also appear with WWF Canada President Carl DeMarco on CBC TV's teen talk show "Jonovision
Jonovision
Jonovision is a Canadian television talk show aimed toward teenagers. The show aired for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001, on CBC Television. Jonovision was nominated for 4 Gemini Awards. It reached the top of its popularity at the end of its fourth season, when it hosted a Degrassi reunion...
" as well as a second appearance in September 1998 along with two students, Tiger Ali Singh and Jason Sensation.
Apocalypse Wrestling Federation
In August 1998, in association with his wrestling school, Hutchinson established the Apocalypse Wrestling Federation which began holding events in the Toronto-area with its first show on August 30, 1998. During the next year, Missy HyattMissy Hyatt
Melissa Ann Hiatt is an American professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt. She gained the majority of her fame while working for World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling....
would make her Canadian debut appearing at the supercard "A Valentine to Remember" on February 14 winning the AWF Heavyweight Championship in a mixed tag team match with Miss B. Haven against Sherri Martel
Sherri Martel
Sherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri....
and the Squeegee Kid during the event. This would be the first wrestling event in which a woman would hold a men's wrestling title.
During that same year, he would also promote Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
's Canadian retirement match "One Last Dance" in which Funk would defeat Sabu on June 6, 1999. The following month, he would begin promoting the annual AWF Ironman Tournament in which over 100 matches would be booked in an 18-day period. The tournament, which would be held for the next four years, would feature matches from top Canadian independent wrestlers and, in 2002, the Canadian debuts of Jillian Hall
Jillian Hall
Jillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is also known for her tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jillian Hall or simply Jillian...
, Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
and Japanese female wrestler Sumie Sakai
Sumie Sakai
born November 11, 1971) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She currently resides in the United States, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States such as Women's Extreme Wrestling and Chikara....
.
Recent years
In early 2003, he and AWF Promotions President Rod Boudreau issued a public statement announcing the purchase of the historical Newsboys boxing gym in Toronto's east end and reopening the training center as the Pro Wrestling Training Gym. In April of that year, he traveled to Tokyo, Japan to organize GAEA JapanGAEA Japan
Gaea Japan was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. (Japanese female professional...
's 8th Anniversary show at the Yokohama Bunka Gym
Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
is an indoor sports arena, located in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 5,000 people and was opened in 1962.It is a five minute walk from the closest subway station, Kannai Station, on the JR/Yokohama Municipal Subway....
with promoter Chigusa Nagayo
Chigusa Nagayo
is a retired Japanese female professional wrestler best known for her mainstream popularity in the 1980s as a member of the tag team The Crush Gals with long-time partner Lioness Asuka. She was the founder of the GAEA Women's Professional Wrestling organization . She briefly competed as alter-ego...
.
He would later co-promote Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
's female wrestling promotion, the Naked Women's Wrestling League
Naked Women's Wrestling League
The Naked Women's Wrestling League, also known as NWWL, was an erotic professional wrestling promotion which features naked females battling in the ring. Carmen Electra acted as hostess for the organization until 2007, when she sued the company for breach of contract...
, serving as the promotion's head trainer and consultant in October 2003. As recently as 2005, he began training former reality TV star Mandy Weaver for a career in the promotion.
In October 2007, Hutchinson took part in a three-city tour of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
with Tiger Jeet Singh
Tiger Jeet Singh
Jagjit Singh Hans is a semi-retired professional wrestler, known better by his ring name Tiger Jeet Singh. He wrestled as a crazed heel, coming to the ring with a sword in his mouth . Singh wrestled in Japan for 22 years...
's Universal Wrestling Stars, Incorporated and included American independent wrestlers Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...
, Steve Corino
Steve Corino
Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino is a Canadian professional wrestler, who currently works for Pro Wrestling Zero1, Ring of Honor and numerous other independent promotions. Corino is a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and ECW World Heavyweight Champion.-Early years :Corino began wrestling in 1994...
, Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Don Paysan
Don Paysan
Luciano Luprano is an Italian-Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Don Paysan. He has competed in numerous North American independent promotions including the International Wrestling Syndicate, Combat Zone Wrestling, Alpha-1 Wrestling and Northern Championship...
as well as Canadian female wrestlers Kacey Diamond, Josianne the Pussycat and Portia Perez
Portia Perez
Jenna Grattan is a Canadian professional wrestler best known under the stage name Portia Perez. Perez currently teams with Nicole Matthews as The Canadian NINJAs.-Professional wrestling career:...
.
While in Ludhiana, Punjab, Hutchinson was involved in an incident in which Russian wrestler Jason the Legend of Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE attempted to assault several Indian reporters during a press conference when the wrestlers were apparently told their tour was to be postponed. Throwing a table across the room, Jason had attempted to assault the reporters before being restrained by several wrestlers present. Although there were no reports of anyone injured, the Senior Superintendent of Police had reported that the wrestler's passports had been seized pending a police investigation. The incident would also be shown on Indian television such as Day Break
Day Break
Day Break is a television program for which one 13-episode season was produced. The series starred Taye Diggs as Detective Brett Hopper, who is framed for the murder of Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. Due to a time loop, Hopper lives the same day over and over...
as well as being covered by the Daily India and The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Double leg grapevine
- Shediac lobster trap
- Signature moves
-
- Crossface chickenwing
Championships and accomplishments
- Big Time Wrestling
- Canadian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Wrestling Superstars
- Canadian Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Further reading
- Oliver, Greg. The Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. Toronto: ECW Press, 2003.