Frank Vizi (born June 9, 1961) is a German born American

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 ...

s Bull Pain, Rick Gantner and Psycho. He is best known for his appearances with

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

such as the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

World Wrestling Federation 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 ...

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 ...

and

Extreme Championship Wrestling 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 ...

, as well as for

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

promotions such as the

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 1996 ...

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 ...

and Chikara.

Early life

Vizi had a grounding in martial arts and boxing, but, having been taken to AWA shows by his father, became a fan of professional wrestling (particularly

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 ...

, The Crusher and The Valiant Brothers).

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1984-1985)

Vizi was trained to wrestle by Tom Stone. He debuted in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

in 1984 under the ring name "Rick Golden", facing Lance Atlas in his first match. Later that year he joined NWA Heart of America, adopting the ring name "Rick Gantner".

American Wrestling Association (1984-1990)

In 1984, Ganter joined the

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

-based

as a

jobber Jobber may refer to: Athletics * Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match. * Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911 Commerce * A person or corporation ...

. He would work with the company until the promotion went out of business in 1990.

World Wrestling Federation (1987-1988)

In 1987, Ganter joined the World Wrestling Federation as a jobber. He worked for the promotion until 1988, appearing regularly on ''

WWF Superstars is a List of wrestling video games, wrestling video game manufactured by Technōs Japan and released for arcade game, arcades in 1989. It is the first WWE, WWF arcade game to be released. A series of unrelated games with the WWF Superstars (Game ...

'' and ''

WWF Wrestling Challenge ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'' is a professional wrestling television show that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). It was syndicated weekly and aired from 1986 to 1995. The show became simply known as ''WWF Cha ...

''.

Independent circuit (1988-1995)

From 1988, Vizi wrestled on the independent circuit for promotions including 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 ...

Windy City Pro Wrestling Windy City Pro Wrestling is an American regional professional wrestling promotion originally based in Chicago, Illinois. Established as Windy City Wrestling by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regiona ...

and

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 ...

. In 1992, he wrestled in Mexico with the

Universal Wrestling Association The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Lucha Libre Internacional (LLI) ...

. In 1990, Vizi donned a

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

, adopted the ring name "Psycho" and formed a tag team with Killer named

The Texas Hangmen The Texas Hangmen was the name of a professional wrestling tag team formed in the 1980s. The team competed in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s, where they received their highest amount of exposure, but had more success in the Wo ...

. The Texas Hangmen achieved their greatest success in the

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

-based

, winning the

WWC World Tag Team Championship The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. History Abroad (2017) On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...

on four occasions.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)

While wrestling for

, Vizi developed the Bull Pain gimmick, using an old high school football nickname. At the same time

Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling A ...

was in a feud with his

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

brother

Axl Rotten Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with Worl ...

, during which Axl Rotten disappeared. As Ian and Bull Pain had previously worked together in USWA, he recommended Bull Pain as a replacement, and the two had a brief feud, including Taipei Death Matches and Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Matches. Bull Pain was also wrestling at this time as a regular "enhancement talent" for

, wrestling the likes of

Jim Duggan James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...

, Hak,

Van Hammer A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

, Johnny B Badd, and

Bobby Duncum, Jr. Bobby Edward Duncum Jr. (August 26, 1965 – January 24, 2000) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as a member of The West Texas Rednecks. Professional wrestling career Ea ...

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (1996)

In 1996, Bull Pain toured Japan with

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagasak ...

World Championship Wrestling (1996, 1998-1999)

Vizi debuted in

on January 18, 1996, as "Bull Payne", unsuccessfully challenging Johnny B. Badd for the

WCW World Television Championship The WCW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship owned by the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion. The title was created in 1974 by Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW) as a s ...

. He appeared with WCW throughout 1998 and 1999.

IWA-Mid South and Return to the independent circuit (1996-2012)

In 1996, Vizi debuted in the

. He went on to both hold the

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and Light Heavyweight Championships, as well as holding the Heavyweight Championship five times. He also worked for

Heartland Wrestling Association The Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) was a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 199 ...

from 1998 to 2000 and 2004 to 2006. He also worked for Kick Ass Wrestling (Now Known as

Memphis Championship Wrestling Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active until mid-2001. It was employed as a World ...

) from 1999 to 2000 where he was the KAW Heavyweight Champion Bull Pain debuted in

in 2007 at ''East Side Wars'' by attacking

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

2 Tuff Tony. In the following weeks, Pain continued to beat opponents mercilessly using a metal baseball bat he called Brother Pain. At Bloodymania, 2 Tuff Tony defeated Bull Pain in a

Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

match. The following year at

Bloodymania II Bloodymania II was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 10, 2008 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in ...

, Pain replaced Isabella Smothers to team with

Tracy Smothers Tracy Stanton Smothers (September 2, 1962 – October 28, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Extreme Champ ...

in a losing effort against 2 Tuff Tony and

Boondox David Hutto (born September 4, 1975) is an American rapper from Covington, Georgia. A representative of the hip hop subgenres rap rock, horrorcore and country rap, Hutto is most commonly known as Boondox, whose stage persona is a killer scar ...

. Following a run-in at Deuces Wild, Bull Pain made his Chikara in-ring debut at Passion and Persistence (April 20, 2008) at the

New Alhambra Arena 2300 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Originally known as Viking Hall, the venue has since been named Alhambra Arena, Th ...

, teaming with

Vin Gerard Vince Gerard Durling (born February 4, 1986) is an American former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara, where he was a one time Chikara Young Lions Cup, Young ...

against The Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant). Due to Pain's use of his signature baseball bat, which he nicknamed Brother Pain, Pain and Gerard were disqualified, and Leonard F. Chikarason (Chikara's Director of Fun) banned them both from appearing on any Chikara shows for 30 days. Pain has not been seen in the company since. Pain continued his losing streak at

Bloodymania III Bloodymania III was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 9, 2009 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment ...

, losing a Tough Man Match to Butterbean. At Oddball Wrestling 2010, Bull Pain and Ian Bloody lost to

Corporal Robinson Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat Z ...

and 2 Tuff Tony in a Taipei Deathmatch. The following night at

Bloodymania IV Bloodymania IV was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 15, 2010 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment i ...

, Pain and Bloody interfered in a match on Tracy Smothers' behalf. The duo was fended off by

and Smothers' opponent

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...

. By the end of 2010, Pain was put into a storyline in which he was seemingly dating Tracy Smothers' daughter Isabella. Both Pain and Isabella became involved in a rivalry with The Weedman. On March 26, 2011, Pain took part in Juggalo Championship Wrestling's first

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

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 ...

Hatchet Attacks. Teaming with Baby Bitch Boy and The Bumpin' Uglies, Pain lost to the team of The Weedman, 2 Tuff Tony, Jailbird Man, and

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

. At the following event, he lost to The Weedman in a match that seemingly ended their feud. At Bloodymania 2011, Bull teamed with

in a losing effort against

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pro W ...

and

Mad Man Pondo Kevin Canady (born June 24, 1969) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mad Man Pondo. Best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Canady has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Independent Wrestling ...

, The Ring Rydas and

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

and Slim Goody. Raven and Goody left with the Tag Team straps.

Championships and accomplishments

**HWA Bar Room Brawl Championship (1 time) *Independent Association of Wrestling **IAW Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Killer *

IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Championship is the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title debuted at the "Crowning of a Champion" event on April 3, 1997, when Tower of Doom won a twelve man tournamen ...

( 5 times) **

IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship The IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship is one of the major titles in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestlin ...

( 1 time) ** IWA Mid-South Television Championship ( 1 time) *Kick Ass Wrestling **KAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

MCW Southern Tag Team Championship The MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002. Title history See also *Memphis Championship Wrestling Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) was a ...

( 1 time) – with Todd Morton *

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 ...

**PWI ranked him #307 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''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 Publishi ...

in 1993 *Tri-State Wrestling **Tri-State Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Killer *

USWA World Tag Team Championship The USWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Memphis, Tennessee-based United States Wrestling Association (USWA). The Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Wrestling ...

( 1 time) – with Killer *

**WCPW Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Killer (3) and Himself (1) *

(

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 ...

) – with Killer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bull Pain 1961 births German male professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestlers from Kentucky Sportspeople from Louisville, Kentucky USWA World Tag Team Champions