The Can-Am Express was a
professional wrestling
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 o ...
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
comprising
Doug Furnas
Dwight Douglas Furnas (December 11, 1959 – March 2, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and powerlifter. He was an APF National and World Powerlifting Champion, who set multiple world records in the 275 pound weight class. As a wrestler, ...
and
Dan Kroffat/Phil LaFon who wrestled in
promotions such as
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, ...
(AJPW),
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 ...
(ECW),
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) ...
(UWA) and
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 ...
(WWF). They teamed up together for nine years from 1989 to 1999 and held success as tag team competitors. In AJPW, they were a record
five-time All Asia Tag Team Champions
The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). It was created on November 16, 1955, in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) when King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh defeated JWA founder ...
.
In ECW, they were
one-time World Tag Team Champions and in UWA, they were
two-time World Tag Team Champions.
Career
All Japan Pro Wrestling (First run, 1989–1992)
Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat were long-time mainstays in
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, ...
(AJPW). Both men stood 5'11" tall. They teamed for the first time as
heels
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 leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive forces exert ...
on June 5, 1989 beating
Footloose
Footloose may refer to:
* ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film
** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack)
** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins
* ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film
** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...
(
Samson Fuyuki and
Toshiaki Kawada
(born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...
) for the
All Asia Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). It was created on November 16, 1955, in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) when King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh defeated JWA founder ...
.
They spent their early beginnings as a tag team and champions, feuding with Fuyuki and Kawada. After four months, they lost the titles back to Kawada and Fuyuki on October 20.
Furnas and Kroffat regained the titles from Kawada and Fuyuki on March 2, 1990 winning the titles for a second time.
They lost the titles a month later to the popular tag team of
Kenta Kobashi
is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1988, where he became one of the promotion's top stars, holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship three times, and winning the Champ ...
and
Tiger Mask II.
They wrestled many makeshift tag teams and tried to regain their All Asia tag titles. They spent the rest of the year, feuding with tag team champions. On April 20, 1991, they defeated
Dynamite Kid and Johnny Smith ending their short reign of just two weeks.
As a result of this victory, Furnas and Kroffat became 3-time All Asia Tag Team Champions, a record held by former champions Samson Fuyuki and Toshiaki Kawada. As a result, there were only two teams during that time to hold the All Asia tag titles three times.
On July 8, they would lose the titles to
Johnny Ace
John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted gunsh ...
and Kenta Kobashi.
AJPW wanted Furnas and Kroffat to regain the All Asia tag titles, so
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 ...
and
Billy Black were used as champions and defeated Ace and Kobashi for the titles and eight days later, they were defeated by Furnas and Kroffat for the titles. As a result of this victory, this unlikely
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
duo became All Asia Tag Team Champions for a fourth time holding a record for most time as champions.
They would hold the titles for
304 days, becoming eleventh longest reigning champions before they eventually lost the titles to
Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
(born November 21, 1964) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Kikuchi idolized and patterned his style after the Dynamite Kid.
Professional wrestling career
All Jap ...
and Kenta Kobashi on May 25, 1992 becoming a dominant team of their era.
They left Japan and went to work in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
Universal Wrestling Association (1992–1993)
After losing the All Asia Tag Team Championship to Kikuchi and Kobashi, Furnas and Kroffat left AJPW and debuted in
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) ...
(UWA), where they worked as Can-Am Express (A common misconception is that they worked as the "
Can-Am Connection
The Can-Am Connection was a tag team composed of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) through 1986 and 1987.
History
In 1986, Canadian wrestler Rick Martel returned to the WWF with his then tag team partner, American ...
"). Shortly after debut, they defeated Los Cowboys / Los Effectivos (
Silver King and El Texano) for their first
UWA World Tag Team Championship
The UWA World Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. After the UWA's closing, the title was inactive unt ...
. They started a historic
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 Los Cowboys and defended the titles twice against them in July. Furnas and Kroffat retained their titles until they lost to Los Villanos (
Villano IV
Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Villano IV (''Villano Cuarto''). Within the stable Los Villanos, he has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), AAA, and W ...
and
Villano V
Raymundo Díaz Mendoza Jr. (born March 22, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler, who has performed under the name Villano V (Villano Quinto, which means "Fifth Villain") until he was unmasked on March 20, 2009, after which he became known a ...
) on November 28 of that year. Furnas and Kroffat began feuding with the Villanos but they did not get a title shot for the rest of the year.
They eventually won the titles for a second time on March 7, 1993 by defeating Los Villanos. In the next month of April, their lengthy feud with Los Villanos ended after Los Villanos defeated them for a second time to win the titles. Furnas and Kroffat left UWA shortly after and returned to AJPW.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (Second run, 1993–1996)
Furnas and Kroffat returned to AJPW in May 1993. On May 21, Dan Kroffat surprisingly won the
World Junior Heavyweight Championship from
Masanobu Fuchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is also a director and the co-head booker. Fuchi has exclusively worked for All Japan since his debut in 1974, and holds the record for the longest ...
which culminated in a feud between the two
junior heavyweights.
Kroffat reigned as champion for the summer of 1993 before eventually losing the title back to Fuchi.
However, the next month, on September 9, the duo became a record-breaking 5-time All Asia Tag Team Champions after beating
The Eagle
The eagle is a large bird of prey.
Eagle or The Eagle may also refer to:
Places England
* Eagle, Lincolnshire, a village
United States
* Eagle, Alaska, a city
* Eagle Village, Alaska, a census-designated place
* Eagle, Colorado, a statut ...
and
The Patriot for the titles.
They continued their domination in the tag team division while Kroffat won the World Junior Heavyweight Championship for a second time on July 12, 1994 becoming a double champion.
On December 5, Kroffat and Furnas vacated the All Asia Tag Team Championship to focus on the
World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
but became the fifth longest reigning champions in history with a reign of 451 days. Kroffat also reigned as champion for over a year eventually losing the title to
Yoshinari Ogawa
(born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...
on September 10, 1995.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (First run, 1996)
Kroffat and Furnas debuted in
hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...
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 ...
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 ...
(ECW) in 1996.
After losing to Rob Van Dam at
Natural Born Killaz
"Natural Born Killaz" is a collaborative single released by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube for the soundtrack of the film ''Murder Was the Case''. It was originally intended for the scrapped album ''Heltah Skeltah''. It would later be used by professional ...
in August 1996, Furnas refused to show respect and suplexed RVD across the ring. Deciding that he wanted to teach Furnas about respect, RVD challenged him to a tag team match at
When Worlds Collide II
When Worlds Collide was the name of two professional wrestling live events produced by the professional wrestling promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1994 and 1996 respectively. Both events were held ...
. Furnas brought in Kroffat, while Van Dam chose Sabu as his partner. Sabu and Rob Van Dam had been feuding all year, but worked very well together. The two teams had a great series of matches, regarded as some of the best in the company's history. Not long after, Furnas and Kroffat left ECW.
World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)
Dan Kroffat renamed himself "Phil LaFon". Furnas and LaFon signed contracts with
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 ...
(WWF) and made their
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 ...
(PPV) debut as
faces
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 affe ...
at
Survivor Series 1996, participating for the first time in a WWF ring in a
Survivor Series match
The Survivor Series match is a professional wrestling tag team elimination match held in WWE. The match typically sees two teams pitted against each other and members of the teams are eliminated one-by-one until one entire team is eliminated. Membe ...
where they teamed with
The Godwinns
The Godwinns were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Dennis Knight (Phineas I. Godwinn) and Mark Canterbury (Henry O. Godwinn) that they used in the World Wrestling Entertainment, WWF. The team has used other gimmicks before they joined ...
(
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
and
Phineas) against
WWF Tag Team Champions
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
Owen Hart and British Bulldog and
New Rockers (
Marty Jannetty
Fredrick Martin Jannetty (born February 3, 1960) is an American professional wrestler who has worked for promotions including the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wres ...
and
Leif Cassidy
Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
). Furnas and LaFon were the survivors, last
pinning Pinning may refer to:
* Pinning, the effect of certain weapons that cause their targets to be pinned down
* Pinning ceremony (nursing), a symbolic welcoming of new graduates into the nursing profession
* Pinning force, a force acting on a pinned ...
tag champions. As 1997 began, they began a
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 Hart and Bulldog over the tag titles, due to having pinned the champions. They got a title shot at
Final Four and won the match by
disqualification after Owen hit LaFon with his
Slammy as Bulldog had LaFon in the
powerslam
A Powerslam or simply Slam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of the opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam or the scoop powerslam.
...
. Though Furnas and LaFon won the match they did not win the titles because a title cannot change hands by a DQ. After this feud, they began a rivalry with the
Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...
, turning
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 ...
in the process. In the summer of 1997, Furnas and LaFon were in a car accident which kept them out of action for several months. They returned in the fall of 1997 where they teamed with
the British Bulldog
David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Entertainment, Worl ...
and
Jim Neidhart
James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag T ...
as a part of Team Canada at
Survivor Series 1997 against Team USA (
Vader,
Goldust
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...
,
Marc Mero
Marc Mero (born July 9, 1960) is an American former Amateur boxing, amateur boxer and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, as well as a motivational speaker. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...
, &
Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman (born September 28, 1963) is an American martial arts instructor, bail bondsman, and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2002, where he was a fr ...
). LaFon would be the second eliminated from Team Canada by Vader while Furnas was able to eliminate Mero before he was eliminated by Vader. Bulldog would be the sole survivor. After Survivor Series, Furnas and LaFon would make a few more appearances mostly on
Shotgun Saturday Night
''WWF Shotgun Saturday Night'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired from January 4, 1997 through August 21, 1999 as a syndicated broadcast. ''Shotgun Saturday Night'' ...
with one match being against the then-unknown
Hardy Boyz
The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...
before being sent to ECW.
[http://www.cagematch.de/?id=28&nr=26&view=matches#matches ]
Extreme Championship Wrestling (Second run, 1997–1998)
In late 1997, Furnas and LaFon returned to
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 ...
(ECW). Upon their return, they were a part of the Team WWF/Team Titan stable. One of their first notable appearances was at ECW November To Remember 1997 where they assisted
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
in a match against
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
.
On December 5, 1997, they defeated the FBI for the
ECW World Tag Team Championship
The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Extreme Championship Wrestlin ...
. 24 hours later at
Better Than Ever, they lost the titles to
Chris Candido
Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro-W ...
and
Lance Storm in a three-way also involving
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the late 199 ...
and
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 ...
.
Following the title loss, the team broke up in early 1998 when LaFon left ECW. Furnas continued to wrestle as a singles wrestler throughout 1998 before he too eventually left and retired.
Lafon worked in Mexico, returned to
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, ...
and the independent circuit in Western Canada until retiring in 2014.
Furnas passed away in February 2012 and his body was found on March 2, 2012 at 52 from a heart attack.
Championships and accomplishments
*
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, ...
**
All Asia Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). It was created on November 16, 1955, in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) when King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh defeated JWA founder ...
(
5 times)
**
World Junior Heavyweight Championship (
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 ...
) - Dan Kroffat
** World's Strongest Tag Determination League New Wave Award (1989)
** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Power Award (1991)
*
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 ...
**
ECW World Tag Team Championship
The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Extreme Championship Wrestlin ...
(
1 time)
*
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 them #38 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003
*
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) ...
**
UWA World Tag Team Championship
The UWA World Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. After the UWA's closing, the title was inactive unt ...
(
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 ...
)
* Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
:*
Match of the Year (1992)
with vs. Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Sendai, May 25
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Can-Am Express, The
All Japan Pro Wrestling teams and stables
Extreme Championship Wrestling teams and stables
Mexican promotions teams and stables
WWE teams and stables