Michael McCord (born October 26, 1949) is an American retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

, better known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Austin Idol. He is best known for his appearances in the

Mid-South Mid-South may refer to: * Mid-South (region), a region of the United States including portions of Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Missouri * East South Central States, a region of the United States * Memphis metropolitan area, Tennessee, U ...

with the

Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ref ...

, in particular his recurring

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

with

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Apr ...

Early life

McCord grew up in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, where he attended Robinson High School. After graduating in 1966, he worked in construction. After developing an interest in becoming a professional wrestler, he eventually persuaded Mike Graham, the son of

Eddie Graham Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), better known as Eddie Graham, was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of the NWA in the 1970s. ...

( promoter of (

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...

), to train him.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1972–1973)

McCord spent a year training to wrestle under Eddie and Mike Graham; during his training, he was stretched by

Bob Roop Robert Michael Roop (born July 22, 1942) is an American retired amateur wrestler and professional wrestler whose career spanned high school, college, the United States Army, amateur and professional wrestling. He was an American heavyweight Grec ...

Hiro Matsuda (July 22, 1937 – November 27, 1999) was a Japanese professional wrestler and trainer best known by his ring name . He trained many professional wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, The Great Muta, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Scott Hall, Lex Lug ...

, and

Jack Brisco Freddie Joe "Jack" Brisco (September 21, 1941 – February 1, 2010) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As an amateur for Oklahoma State, Brisco was two-time All-American and won the Natio ...

. He initially worked for Graham's

promotion as a referee before debuting as a wrestler in early 1972 under the

Dennis McCord. McCord wrestled in Florida until mid-1972, then briefly for

Nick Gulas Nick Gulas (September 3, 1914 – January 21, 1991) was an American professional wrestling promoter in the Southern United States, partnered with Tennessee promoter Roy Welch for decades. Gulas was also known as "The King of Managers", "King B", ...

NWA Mid-America NWA Mid-America was a professional wrestling promotion territory under the umbrella of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from the 1940s until 1981. The company was founded in the 1940s by N ...

promotion in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

before joining the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

-based

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

. In late 1972 and early 1973, McCord appeared in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia with

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

, where he and

Jimmy Golden James "Jimmy" Golden (born August 1, 1950) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bunkhouse Buck. He also appeared in WWE as Jack Swagger Sr. A member of t ...

won a tournament to become the inaugural

NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Champions The NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure. WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in A ...

(they forfeited the titles in January 1973).

World Wide Wrestling Federation (1973–1974)

In March 1973, McCord joined

Vincent J. McMahon Vincent James McMahon (July 6, 1914 – May 24, 1984), sometimes referred to as Vince McMahon Sr., was an American professional wrestling promoter. He is best known for running the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which was later renamed WWWF (World ...

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

-based

World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American sports promotion company. It was run by Vincent J. McMahon from 1953 to 1982. Operating as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing p ...

where he adopted the new persona of "Iron" Mike McCord and was given

Lou Albano Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name "Captain" Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1 ...

as his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. In July 1973, McCord faced

Chief Jay Strongbow Luke Joseph Scarpa (October 4, 1928 – April 3, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer who was best known by the ring name Chief Jay Strongbow. Much like his contemporary Wahoo McDaniel, he portrayed a Native America ...

in a memorable match in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. As Strongbow applied a sleeper hold to McCord, Albano interfered by smashing a

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

on Strongbow's forehead; McCord was disqualified, but Strongbow was cut wide open by Albano's blows. During his stint in the WWWF, McCord wrestled primarily in the mid-card, although he (unsuccessfully) challenged

Pedro Morales Pedro Antonio Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation ...

for the WWWF Championship on several occasions. McCord remained with the WWWF until January 1974, when he left for Florida due to disliking the cold weather in the northeast.

Florida and Georgia (1974–1975, 1977)

Upon returning to Florida in January 1974, McCord resumed wrestling for Championship Wrestling from Florida, this time as "The Super Texan", a masked

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

allied with

Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...

. McCord was unmasked in March 1974 after losing a " mask versus beard match" to

Jos LeDuc Michel Pigeon (August 31, 1944 – May 1, 1999) 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. The pair ...

. In summer 1974, McCord began wrestling for

Georgia Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National W ...

as Mike McCord. He competed in Georgia until losing a loser leaves town match to

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federatio ...

in November 1974, returning to Florida later that month. On February 20, 1975, McCord and wrestlers

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...

and

Bobby Shane Robert Lee Schoenberger (August 25, 1945 – February 20, 1975), better known as Bobby Shane, who also wrestled as Bobby Schoen and as The Challenger, was an American professional wrestler known for his time in NWA Florida in the late 1960s and e ...

were passengers on a

Cessna 182 Skylane The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats in the baggage area. Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a ...

piloted by wrestler

Buddy Colt Ron Read (January 13, 1936 – March 5, 2021), known professionally as Buddy Colt, Ty Colt and "Cowboy" Ron Reed, was an American professional wrestler who worked in NWA promotions including the St. Louis Wrestling Club, Championship Wrestling f ...

between Miami and Tampa. While attempting to land at Peter O. Knight Airport in foggy conditions, Colt crashed into

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

. Shane was killed in the crash and the other wrestlers injured, with McCord sustaining two broken ankles, several broken ribs, and severe lacerations to his feet. McCord was inactive for several months while rehabilitating. Later that year, McCord wrestled a handful of matches for

, some of them as the masked "Super A" - briefly holding the

NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship The NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Georgia Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. It started in 1964 and was unified in 1981 with the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. The title was pick ...

- before going on hiatus for the next two years. Following the accident, McCord developed a

fear of flying Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromechanophobia (although ae ...

, which led him to largely restrict his future wrestling career to the

. His return from injury led ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' to name him its " Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year" for 1975. In July 1977, McCord wrestled a handful of matches for Championship Wrestling from Florida before once again going on hiatus. By this point, McCord's weight had increased to 300 lbs.

Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama (1978–1979)

McCord re-emerged in March 1978 in

Fritz Von Erich Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was a 3-time world champion ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

-based NWA Big Time Wrestling promotion under the new persona of "the Universal Heartthrob" Austin Idol. As part of his new character, McCord lost considerable weight, developed a more muscular physique, and bleached his hair blonde. Over the next two months, Idol competed in NWA Big Time Wrestling and

Paul Boesch Paul Max Boesch (October 2, 1912March 7, 1989) was an American professional wrestler and promoter, most famous for his work as an announcer and promoter for Houston Wrestling. He also spent several stints working with the Universal Wrestling Fed ...

Houston Wrestling Houston Wrestling/Gulf Athletic Club is a now-defunct professional wrestling promotion that ran from the mid-1920s through 1987. Originally run by the Sigel family, it reached its greatest popularity under Paul Boesch. History Houston's wrestling ...

(where he was briefly billed as "Often Idle"). In May 1978, he unsuccessfully challenged Dale Valentine for the

NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has us ...

. He left Texas later that month after losing a loser leaves town match to

Kevin Von Erich Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kevin Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Von Erich is best known for his appearances with his father's World Class Ch ...

. Idol made a handful of appearances for

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

and for Big Time Wrestling in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

before joining the

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

-based

in December 1978. Idol was immediately booked as a main event star in the CWA. Shortly after debuting, Idol defeated

for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He held the title until January 1979, when he lost to Ron Fuller. Over the following months, Idol feuded with Lawler (and his allies

Bill Dundee William Cruickshanks (born 24 October 1943) is a Scottish-born Australian professional wrestler and author better known by his stage name Bill Dundee. Cruickshanks is the father of J. C. Ice, Jamie Dundee and the father-in-law of wrestler Bobby E ...

and

Jackie Fargo Henry Faggart (June 26, 1930 – June 24, 2013) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jackie Fargo. He competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s an ...

) until losing a hair versus loser leaves town

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to Lawler in April 1979. In May 1979, Idol began appearing with

Southeastern Championship Wrestling Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship Wr ...

in Alabama, briefly holding the

NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) The NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) was originally the primary singles championship for '' Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling'' and was originally named the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship. As the name indicate ...

. He left the promotion in summer 1979 to return to Georgia Championship Wrestling.

Georgia (1979–1980)

Idol returned to Georgia Championship Wrestling in summer 1979. In November 1979, he and

The Masked Superstar William Reid "Bill" Eadie (born December 27, 1947) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition (professional wrestling), Demolition and The Masked Superstar. H ...

won a one-night tournament in the

Omni Coliseum Omni Coliseum (often called The Omni) was an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for ice hockey, hockey. It was part of the CNN Center, Omni ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

for the

NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship. The title was revived in 1998 by Music City Wrestling ...

. They lost the titles to

and

Jerry Brisco Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco (born September 19, 1946) is an American retired professional wrestler. Brisco is best known for his time in the wrestling promotion WWE, where he was a backstage producer, and, during the 1990s, an on-screen character, ...

later that month. In December 1979, Idol defeated

Ray Candy Ray Canty (December 3, 1951 – May 23, 1994), better known by the ring name Ray Candy, was an American professional wrestler who worked for a variety of different wrestling promotions in the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico such as Jim Crocke ...

for the NWA Georgia Television Championship. In January 1980, Idol was named the inaugural

NWA National Heavyweight Champion The NWA National Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The current champion is Cyon, who is in his first reign. The championship was established in January ...

(the title was vacated later that year in unclear circumstances). Idol's reign as NWA Georgia Television Champion lasted until January 1980, when he lost to Steve Travis. Idol regained the title from Travis several days later, but lost it to Travis' ally Kevin Sullivan later that month. Idol defeated Sullivan to win the title for a third time in February 1980, but lost it to

Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling ...

two days later. In February 1980, Idol lost to Sullivan in a " Boston street fight". Later that month, he defeated Sullivan in a strap match. In March 1980, Idol defeated

Mr. Wrestling II John Francis Walker (September 10, 1934June 10, 2020), better known by the ring name Mr. Wrestling II, was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship ...

to win the

for a second time. He held the title until June 1980, when he lost to

Baron von Raschke James Donald Raschke (born July 30, 1940) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Baron von Raschke. Early life Raschke was a three-year letterman with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Cornhuskers wrest ...

. During his reign, he unsuccessfully challenged visiting

NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...

Harley Race. Idol left Georgia Championship Wrestling in July 1980, briefly returning to the Continental Wrestling Association before embarking on a tour of Japan.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (1980)

In August and September 1980, Idol made his first appearances in Japan with the

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...

promotion as part of its "Summer Action Series II" tour. He teamed with

to compete in the PWF Cup Tag Team Tournament, defeating

Atsushi Onita is a Japanese actor, politician, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and is credited with introducing Japan to the deathmatch style of professional wrestling. He founded ...

and

Prince Tonga Tonga 'Uli'uli Fifita (born 10 February 1959) is a Tongan professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as Haku. He is also known for his time in World Champions ...

in the quarter-finals before losing to

The Cruiser ''The Cruiser'' is a novel of war at sea by Warren Tute. It follows the story of HMS ''Antigone'', a fictional British of the Second World War named after the mythical Greek character Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancien ...

and The Destroyer in the semi-finals. Idol's other opponents during the tour included

Giant Baba , best known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota ...

Jumbo Tsuruta , better known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for most of his career, and is well known for being the first ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyw ...

Mil Mascaras Mil, mil, or MIL may refer to: Places * Mil, Syria, a village in Syria * Mil, Azerbaijan, a municipality in Beylagan Rayon * Mil, Markazi, a village in Markazi Province, Iran * Metropolitan area of Milan ( IATA code: MIL), Italy * Mill Hill Broa ...

, and

Rocky Hata Mitsuo Hata (September 12, 1948 – October 27, 1991), better known by his ring name Rocky Hata was a Japanese professional wrestler who competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1970s & 1980s. He also competed in the United States in pro ...

Georgia and Tennessee (1980–1981)

Following his tour of Japan, Idol began appearing for both Georgia Championship Wrestling in Georgia and the Continental Wrestling Association in Tennessee. In August 1980, Idol and

Dutch Mantell Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestling manager (professional wrestling), manager, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Book, booker and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better ...

won the

CWA World Tag Team Championship The CWA World Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association. It lasted from 1980 through 1983. Title history Footnotes References See also *Continental Wrestling ...

. In October 1980, Idol defeated

Billy Robinson William Alfred Robinson (18 September 1938 – 3 March 2014) was a British professional wrestler and wrestling instructor. Robinson was one of the few wrestlers who was successful in several continents (Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania ...

to win the

CWA World Heavyweight Championship The CWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world heavyweight championship and the top title of the Germany, German professional wrestling promotion Catch Wrestling ...

; he lost the title to

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managemen ...

later that month. In Georgia, Idol formed a tag team with his former enemy Kevin Sullivan, with the duo feuding with

the Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

. In January 1981, Idol reignited his feud with Jerry Lawler in the Continental Wrestling Association. Idol was presented as one of a series of "

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

s" brought into the territory by Lawler's enemy

Jimmy Hart James Ray Hart (born January 1, 1944) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World ...

to try and defeat Lawler, who had recently returned after rehabilitating a broken leg. During a bout between the two men, Lawler threw a fireball at Idol while trapped in his '' Las Vegas Leglock'', supposedly burning Idol's neck. Idol made his return in a memorable

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two Ray (geometry), rays, called the ''Side (plane geometry), sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex (geometry), vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two ...

in which

ring announcer A ring announcer is an in-ring (and sometimes on-camera) employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience. In boxing and mixed martial arts bouts, ...

Lance Russell Lance Russell (March 18, 1926 – October 3, 2017) was an American Sports commentator, sports broadcaster and ring announcer, primarily serving as a professional wrestling announcer and Sports commentator, commentator in the Memphis, Tennessee, Mem ...

announced that he had received a telegram from Mexican promoter

Salvador Lutteroth Salvador Lutteroth González (21 March 1897 – 5 September 1987) was a Mexican professional wrestling promoter of the mid-twentieth century. Lutteroth's organization, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), was the dominant Mexican wrestling pr ...

announcing that Lawler had been voted the most popular wrestler in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, with the masked ''

luchador Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...

'' "Black Diamond" to present Lawler with a plaque; during the ceremony, Black Diamond broke the plaque over Lawler's head, then unmasked to reveal himself as Idol. In March 1981, Idol and Mantell lost the CWA World Tag Team Championship to

and

. Idol left the CWA once more the following month.

Jim Crockett Promotions (1981–1982)

In May 1981, Idol began wrestling for the

-based

as a heel, facing opponents such as

Johnny Weaver Kenneth Eugene Weaver (November 17, 1935 – February 15, 2008) was an American professional wrestler and wrestling commentator in the National Wrestling Alliance, better known by his ring name, Johnny Weaver. Career 1960s Weaver's career spa ...

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

, and

Wahoo McDaniel Edward Hugh McDaniel (June 19, 1938 – April 18, 2002) was an American Choctaw-Chickasaw professional American football player and professional wrestler better known by his ring name Wahoo McDaniel. He is notable for having held the NWA United S ...

. During his time in Jim Crockett Promotions, an

saw Idol bring an

8 mm film 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of the ...

camera to ringside and record other wrestlers' matches, angering them. Idol left Jim Crockett Promotions in March 1982.

Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas (1982–1987)

In mid-1982, Idol resumed wrestling for Southeastern Championship Wrestling in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. He became the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Champion in unclear circumstances, losing the title to

Wayne Ferris Roy Wayne Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

in September 1982. In December 1982, he won the

NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) The NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) was a major title in the NWA's Alabama territory known as Southeastern Championship Wrestling. It existed from 1972 until 1988 when the promotion became the Continental Wrestling ...

, with his reign ending in unclear circumstances. In December 1982, Idol wrestled visiting

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

to a draw. Idol faced Flair again in May 1983 but failed to win the title. Idol returned to Continental Wrestling Association in February 1983; upon arrival, he was named the inaugural

AWA International Heavyweight Champion The AWA International Heavyweight Championship, originally known as the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship (also identified as the Mid-Southern International Championship and the AWA International Championship) was a major professional ...

. He lost the title to Lawler the following month, with Lawler once again hitting him with a fireball. In summer 1983, Idol turned

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

and formed an alliance with Lawler. In August 1983, Lawler and Idol won the

from The Assassins, only for The Assassins to regain the title one week later. In September 1983, Idol defeated

Ken Patera Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

to become AWA International Heavyweight Champion for a second time, only to lose the title to

Stan Hansen John Stanley Hansen II (born August 29, 1949) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Hansen is known for his Glossary of professional wrestling terms#S, stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to his poor eyesigh ...

two days later. Idol regained the title from Hansen in October in a bullrope match. In November 1983, Idol and Dutch Mantell defeated The Midnight Express for the CWA World Tag Team Championship; the title was later quietly abandoned. Idol's third reign as AWA International Heavyweight Champion lasted until April 1984, when he lost to

Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...

. Idol regained the title from Savage in May, only to lose it to Masao Ito in June 1984. Idol left the CWA once again in mid-1984. In July 1984, Idol returned to Southeastern Championship Wrestling in Alabama. In August 1984, he defeated Vic Rain to win the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) for a second time. He held the title until November 1984, when he lost to

. In March 1985, Idol defeated

Lord Humongous Lord Humongous is a professional wrestling character also known as a "gimmick" that was originally introduced in Memphis' Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) in 1984. The character was based on a gang leader called "the Humungus" or at times ...

for the

NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship The NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship was created in October, 1962. Since its creation, the championship has been defended in a number of NWA territories throughout the decades. Initially, the title was a part of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestl ...

, losing the title back to Humongous the following month. In July 1985, Idol defeated Jimmy Golden to regain the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division); his third reign ended the following month when he lost to

Adrian Street Adrian Street (born 5 December 1940) is a retired Welsh professional wrestler and author known for his flamboyant, androgynous wrestling persona, brought to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Street was often accompanied to the ring by his long- ...

. Idol left Southeastern Championship Wrestling once more later that month. Idol returned to the Continental Wrestling Association in August 1985, teaming with Jerry Lawler in a short feud with

. In December 1985, he and Lawler defeated Bill Dundee and Dutch Mantel to win the

AWA Southern Tag Team Championship The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-America version)'' from its ince ...

. The title was vacated later that month when Lawler lost a loser leaves town match to Dundee, and Idol left the Continental Wrestling Association once again. In early 1986, Idol appeared in Texas with World Class Championship Wrestling and

Texas All-Star Wrestling Texas All-Star Wrestling (TASW) is a professional wrestling promotion that was established by Bob Murphy in Humble, Texas in 1994. It is the oldest independent promotion in the state of Texas and one of three based in the Greater Houston area a ...

. In January 1986, Idol defeated

Big Bubba Ray Washington Traylor Jr. (May 2, 1963 – September 22, 2004) was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Big Boss Man, as well as for his appearances with ...

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

to win the Texas All-Star Wrestling USA Heavyweight Championship; he held the title until April 1986, when he was defeated by

Al Madril Alberto "Al" Madril (born March 20, 1950) is an American retired professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Madril began his wrestling career in 1970. During the first half of the decade, he competed in Pacific Northwest Wrestling, t ...

Pasadena, Texas Pasadena () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 151,950, making it the twentieth most populous city in the state of Texas, as well as the second-largest cit ...

. Idol returned to the Continental Wrestling Association yet again in June 1986. In January 1987, he turned on Jerry Lawler, beginning what was regarded as "the most memorable series of their feud". In early 1987, Idol acquired Paul E. Dangerously as his

. In February 1987, Idol won a tournament to become the new AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion, defeating Soul Train Jones in the tournament final. His reign lasted until April 1987 when Lawler defeated him in a chain match. One week later, Idol challenged Lawler for the title in a hair versus hair

cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Idol defeated Lawler to regain the title after his ally

- who hid underneath the ring for the entirety of the event - emerged to assist him, Following the match, Idol and Rich beat down Lawler and shaved his head, enraging the

Mid-South Coliseum Mid-South Coliseum is an indoor arena in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility was opened in 1964, and became known “The Entertainment Capitol of the Mid-South” due its significance in hosting events such as concerts, sports games and professio ...

audience. Idol's third reign as AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion ended in June 1987 when he was once again defeated by Lawler. One week later, Idol and Rich lost to Lawler and Dundee in a

scaffold match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Following this, Idol left the Continental Wrestling Association for a tour of Japan. The feud between Idol/Rich and Lawler was named " Feud of the Year" for 1987 by the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

''.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (1987, 1988)

Idol toured Japan with

for a second time in August and September 1987 as part of its "Summer Action Series II". Upon arriving in AJPW, Idol and

were awarded the vacant

PWF World Tag Team Championship The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship in All Japan Pro Wrestling, created in 1984. It was unified with the NWA International Tag Team Championship in 1988, to create ...

. They successfully defended the titles in bouts against teams such as

Hiroshi Wajima was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa. He was the sport's 54th ''yokozuna'' and remains the only wrestler with a collegiate background to reach its highest rank. Entering professional sumo in 1970, he won a total of 14 ...

and

Takashi Ishikawa is a former professional wrestler and sumo wrestler from Fujishima, Higashitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Sumo wrestling career He played baseball up to junior high school, but at Sakata Minami High School he switched to sumo an ...

and

Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...

before losing to

Ashura Hara (January 8, 1947April 28, 2015) was a Japanese rugby player and professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . Rugby career Susumu Hara began his rugby career in high school, playing for the Agricultural High School in the Isahaya regi ...

and

Genichiro Tenryu , better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...

on September 3. Throughout the remainder of the tour, Idol primarily competed in

six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

es alongside Hansen and

Joel Deaton Joel Lofton Jones (born April 9, 1957) is an American professional wrestler, better known as Joel Deaton or Joe Deaton. He is most noticed for being one of the members of a tag team in Jim Crockett Promotions known as the Thunderfoots. He was t ...

. Idol had a third stint in Japan with AJPW in March and April 1988 as part of its

Champion Carnival The is a professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The tournament is also known by the nickname and is sometimes abbreviated to CC. Created by AJPW founder Giant Baba, the tournament has been held annually since ...

tour. For the bulk of the tour, Idol teamed with

, with the duo facing wrestlers such as

The Great Kabuki , better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces. Professional wrestling career Mera was born on September 8, 1948 in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in 19 ...

John Tenta John Anthony Tenta Jr. (June 22, 1963June 7, 2006) was a Canadian professional wrestler and sumo wrestler (''rikishi'') best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake, though initially known as Canadian Earthquake. ...

Shunji Takano Shunji Takano (高野俊二 ''Takano Shunji'') (born February 16, 1964) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Early life Takano was born on February 16, 1964. His father was a black American Marine who belonged to the Iwakuni base, and ha ...

, and

Late career (1988–1998)

Following his third stint in Japan, Idol began wrestling less frequently. In summer 1988, he appeared with the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, Tennessee - where he once again faced Jerry Lawler - and the

Continental Wrestling Federation Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship Wr ...

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. In 1989, he made a handful of appearances with the

United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling ...

(USWA) (the successor to the Continental Wrestling Association), both wrestling against and teaming with Lawler. Throughout 1990, Idol appeared with the USWA and with the

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

-based

Tri-State Wrestling Alliance HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

. In October 1990, he competed in a one-night tournament for the vacant

USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship The USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship formed in 1988, which consisted of the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship from World Class Championship Wrestling and the AWA World Heavy ...

, losing to Lawler in the final bout of the tournament. In 1991, Idol made a handful of appearances with the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance and the

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

-based

Global Wrestling Federation Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...

. Idol wrestled very few matches over the following years. In 1993, he briefly ran his own promotion in Alabama. Idol formally retired in 1998 after appearing on the debut television episode of the Memphis, Tennessee-based

Power Pro Wrestling Memphis Power Pro Wrestling (Power Pro Wrestling) was a Memphis, Tennessee based professional wrestling promotion that was founded by Randy Hales. It was affiliated with Memphis Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation. It was the fi ...

promotion.

Retirement (1998–present)

After retiring, Idol went on to work as a real estate investor. In August 2011, Idol broke his retirement for one night to wrestle a

five-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

on the

Juggalo Championship Wrestling Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

"Legends & Icons" in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, defeating

Brickhouse Brown Frederick Seawright (August 11, 1960 – July 29, 2018) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Brickhouse Brown. He was a top heel in several Southern promotions in the 1980s and 1990s. Professional wrestling care ...

Doug Gilbert Douglas Gilbert (born February 5, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with regional professional wrestling promotions throughout the Southern United States, as well as for Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

Dutch Mantel Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestling manager, booker and retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Dutch Mantel (also spelled Dutch Mantell). Keown debuted in 1972, as Wayne Cow ...

, and

Koko B. Ware James W. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he ...

. In November 2012, Idol launched the ''Austin Idol Rock & Roll Wrestling Show'' on American Hearts Radio. In 2017, after appearing on

Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

, ''The Jim Cornette Experience'', Idol began hosting his own podcast, ''Austin Idol Live''. Idol discontinued the podcast after 31 weekly broadcasts. In 2017 and 2018, Idol appeared alongside

Nick Aldis Nicholas Aldis (born 6 November 1986) is an English professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is also known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring name Magnus. Aldis made his debut on t ...

as his

. On January 8, 2020, Idol made a guest appearance on

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...

's ''

AEW Dark AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, web ...

as part of a commemoration of Memphis wrestling. In 2020, Idol established the Universal Wrestling College

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. In 2021, Idol's likeness was featured as a

playable character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

in the

RetroMania Wrestling ''RetroMania Wrestling'' is a professional wrestling video game by RetroSoft Studios. The game was released on April 1, 2021. The game was created as an homage to classic WWF arcade games ''WWF Superstars'' and ''WWF WrestleFest''. Gameplay ''R ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

PS4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in E ...

, and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

Legacy

Fellow wrestler

noted Idol's

promo Promo or promos may refer to: Promotions and advertising *Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs *Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...

skills and impressive looks and physique. Professional wrestling manager and referee Scott Bowden described Idol as "a marginal worker... somewhat limited" but with "an excellent grasp of psychology" and being "great on the

stick Stick or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig * The weapon used in stick fighting * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...

". Writing in 1986, journalist

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

noted that Idol was "not considered a strong

worker The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual labour, manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via wage, waged or salary, salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also "Designation ...

" but that he "got over on his looks and his arrogant interviews, both as a heel and a babyface" and had "a good physique". Idol did not enjoy the colder weather of the

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and, following his plane crash, also disliked flying; as a result, Idol primarily restricted himself to the

rather than becoming a national star. In 2014,

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

named Idol as one of "the 10 best wrestlers you've never heard of".

Professional wrestling style and persona

At the beginning of his career, McCord portrayed a

powerlifter Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

. In 1978, he adopted the new character of Austin Idol, a verbose bleach blonde braggart who called himself "the Universal Heartthrob" and fancied himself attractive to women and wore

tie-dye Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...

d ring attire. Prior to his matches, Idol would often make a show of removing his robe by quickly outstretching his arms in a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

position to reveal his physique, and would swivel his hips from side to side while slowly continuing to disrobe. The character of Austin Idol was often compared to

Superstar Billy Graham Eldridge Wayne Coleman (born June 7, 1943), better known by his ring name "Superstar" Billy Graham, is an American former professional wrestler. He gained recognition for his tenure as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion in 1977–1978. He is a thre ...

. Idol's finishing move was the ''Las Vegas Leglock'' (a

figure-four leglock Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

). His signature moves included the piledriver, elbow smash, knee drop, and sleeper hold.

Championships and accomplishments

( 1 time) - with

** AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) **

( 1 time) - with

** CWA International Heavyweight Championship ( 4 times) **

( 1 time) **

( 3 times) - with

(2) and Jerry Lawler (1) *

( 1 time) **

( 1 time) - with Masked Superstar ** NWA Georgia Television Championship ( 3 times) **

NWA National Heavyweight Championship The NWA National Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The current champion is Cyon, who is in his first reign. The championship was established in January ...

( 1 time) *''

'' **

PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years. Unlike other wrestling ...

(1975) **PWI ranked him # 193 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the

PWI Years ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

in 2003. *

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) ** NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship ''(Northern Division)'' ( 3 times) ** NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship ''(Southern Division)'' ( 1 time) *

**TAW USA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship The NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure. WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in ...

( 1 time) - with

*''

'' ** Feud of the Year (1987) with

vs. Jerry Lawler

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Idol, Austin 1949 births 20th-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers American podcasters AWA International Heavyweight Champions Living people NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Champions NWA National Heavyweight Champions People from Tampa, Florida PWF World Tag Team Champions Professional wrestlers from Florida Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents The First Family (professional wrestling) members The Heenan Family members NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champions NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions NWA National Television Champions