Brian Adams (wrestler)

Brian Adams
Adams (right) with "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Ring name(s)	The American Ninja[1] The Midnight Soldier[1] Demolition Crush[1] Crush[1] Kona Crush[1] Brian Adams[1] Bryan Adams[1] The KISS Demon[1]
Billed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[1]
Billed weight	315 lb (143 kg)[1]
Born	January 31, 1963[1] Kona, Hawaii
Died	August 13, 2007(2007-08-13) (aged 44)[1] Tampa, Florida
Billed from	Kona, Hawaii
Trained by	Tatsumi Fujinami Antonio Inoki
Debut	1986[1]
Retired	January 2003

Brian Keith Adams (January 31, 1963 – August 13, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his given name.

Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team Champion, as well as a one time holder of both the WWF World Tag Team Championship and the All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Championship, among other titles and accomplishments. In 2002, Adams briefly tried a career in boxing until he was forced to retire due to back and shoulder injuries. He died of an accidental overdose of painkillers in 2007.^[2]

Early life

Brian Adams was born in Kona, Hawaii and was raised in Kealakekua, Hawai'i and attended Konawaena High School.^[3][4] After graduating from high school, Adams joined the military, where he began boxing.^[5] It was during his time in the military, while stationed in Japan, that he was also exposed to wrestling. Adams was trained in wrestling by famed Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist Antonio Inoki.^[5] In 1986, after training in Japan, Adams came to the United States and began working in Portland, Oregon's Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW).^[1]

Professional wrestling career

Pacific Northwest and the World Wrestling Federation (1986–1992)

In the Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) promotion, he was given the nickname The American Ninja and was put in a tag team called "The Wrecking Crew" with Len Denton, who wrestled under a mask, billed as "The Grappler." Adams and Denton were the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champions for a time and worked a feud with the Southern Rockers, Steve Doll and Rex King.^[6] In 1990, he won the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship after winning a tournament final match against Larry Oliver in Portland on April 21, 1990 for the vacant title.^[6] He lost the title to Scott Norton on May 12, 1990 in Portland.^[6]

In April 1990, while still working for the PNW, Adams debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Crush, the third member of the WWF World Tag Team Championship team Demolition.^[7] With Adams joining Demolition, the stable exercised the Freebird Rule allowing any combination of the three to defend the tag team title, which allowed Crush to become a World Tag Team Champion without being involved in the match where the team won the title.^[7][8] At the SummerSlam pay-per-view in 1990, Demolition, with new member Adams, lost the Tag Team title to The Hart Foundation in a two out of three falls match with Adams getting pinned for the final fall to lose the title.^[9] After SummerSlam, Demolition resumed an earlier feud with The Legion of Doom.^[7] Adams continued to perform as part of Demolition until after WrestleMania VII where he and Smash lost to Genichiro Tenryu and Koji Kitao in a short, one-sided match. After WrestleMania, the WWF decided to disband Demolition as a team.^[8]

Upon his departure from the WWF, Adams, who continued to use the Demolition Crush gimmick, returned to PNW.^[10] He was portrayed as a dominant wrestler, winning both the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship and the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship. Adams received the first of these two championships during this stint in the PNW while teaming with previous rival Steve Doll and defeating The Bruise Brothers for the Tag Team Championship on July 27, 1991 in Portland, Oregon.^[6] They remained the champions until September 1, 1991 when they lost the title to The Grappler and Don Harris.^[6] A little more than a month later, Adams received his second Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title, on October 12, 1991, in Portland after he defeated Rip Oliver via submission to the Full Nelson hold.^[6] Adams was the champion for just over three months, losing the title to Ron Harris at a show in Portland, on January 18, 1992.^[6]

World Wrestling Federation (1992–1998)

Adams went back to work for the WWF in 1992 and was given a new character: a surfing Hawaiian, occasionally referred to as Kona Crush, and a new two-handed skull vice finisher called the Coconut Crush.^[7] He feuded early on with his former tag team partner Barry Darsow (Smash) who was now known as Repo Man.^[1] Two years after losing the tag team title, the two clashed at SummerSlam, where Crush was victorious.^[11] Crush then engaged in a feud with Doink the Clown, after he was attacked with a loaded prosthetic arm while confronting the clown about his cruel pranks on children at ringside, which caused Crush to miss the Royal Rumble. The feud culminated at WrestleMania IX, where Crush lost after a second, identical Doink (played by Steve Keirn) appeared from underneath the ring and struck Crush with the prosthetic arm.^[7]

In 1993, it was scripted that Crush was to be "injured" in a WWF Championship match by champion Yokozuna and take several months off. When he returned, he attacked his on-screen friend Randy Savage, because Savage had failed to contact him during his recuperation. Crush then allied himself with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji,^[7] becoming a villain. Adams adopted a "Japanese sympathizer" gimmick to go with his new attitude. This rivalry led to a falls count anywhere match against Savage at WrestleMania X, which he lost when Savage hogtied him to a metal rack and returned to the ring before a 60 second count.^[7][12]

In March 1995, Adams was arrested, and subsequently jailed, for purchasing steroids and possessing an illegal stun gun, while home in Hawaii. After a brief stint in jail, Adams was brought back to the WWF with a new biker look at the beginning of the Monday Night Wars in 1996, with his real-life incarceration being referenced as part of a storyline on Monday Night Raw.^[1] Upon his return, the WWF gave Adams Clarence Mason, who portrayed a lawyer-like character on-screen, as a manager.^[7]

Shortly after his return to the WWF he was made a member of the Nation of Domination (NOD) along with Faarooq and Savio Vega.^[7] Adams was later kicked out of the group, and subsequently formed and led a wrestling biker gang stable called the Disciples of Apocalypse (DOA).^[7] The DOA feuded with Faarooq's NOD and Vega's new stable, called Los Boricuas.^[1] Adams later left the WWF in 1997, partially in protest to the Montreal Screwjob.^[5]

World Championship Wrestling (1998–2001)

Adams signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1998 and debuted as part of the New World Order.^[7] As a lower card performer, he often tag teamed with the likes of Scott Norton and Stevie Ray, occasionally losing matches against smaller and lesser known wrestlers. However, he also gained squash victories over jobbers in singles competition. During his time with the promotion, he was involved in a tag team tournament steel cage match on WCW Thunder in February 1999, in which he and Horace Hogan lost to Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko.

Later, Adams was scripted as The Demon, a take off of Gene Simmons of the band KISS. This character change saw him emerging from an iron maiden with a rendition of "God of Thunder" as his entrance theme. Adams only made one appearance as The Demon before Dale Torborg took over that gimmick, and Adams was placed back into the tag team picture.^[1] He formed a team with Bryan Clark called KroniK, which won the WCW World Tag Team Championship twice.^[6][7]

Later career (2001–2002)

After the WWF's purchase of WCW, KroniK appeared in WWF as part of the Alliance storyline. During their time in WWF, they were managed by Steven Richards and were placed in a short feud with the Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane).^[7] Adams and Clark faced, and lost to, the duo at the 2001 Unforgiven pay-per-view.^[1] Both men were accosted by the Undertaker in the locker room after the match for their lackluster performance. Clark was then released from his WWF contract, and Adams was sent to the then WWF developmental territory Heartland Wrestling Association in Cincinnati, Ohio where he performed until he, too, was released from his WWF contract in November 2001.

Adams and Clark briefly worked for World Wrestling All-Stars in early 2002. They then traveled to Japan to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). On July 17, 2002, at an AJPW pay-per-view, Adams and Clark defeated Keiji Mutoh and Taiyō Kea for the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship.^[5] Adams and Clark remained champions until 2002 when AJPW declared the title vacant, because Adams had left the promotion to pursue a boxing career.^[5]

Adams was scheduled to have his first boxing match, against Rick Zufal, on November 16, 2002 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada with professional wrestler Randy Savage in his corner.^[13] This bout was to air on the Never Surrender boxing pay-per-view, but during his training for the bout, Adams injured his shoulder and was unable to fight.^[7][14] After recovering from his shoulder injury, Adams returned to wrestling for "Wrestle 1", a pay-per-view for the Japanese promotion W-1, which was held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. In January 2003, he made his last in-ring performance, teaming with Bryan Clark, and facing Bill Goldberg and Keiji Mutoh in a losing effort. He suffered a spinal injury in this match that forced him into retirement.^[7]

Personal life

In 1996, Adams had an uncredited role in the Bollywood movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. In the movie, he played "Crush" and was killed by "The Undertaker" (played by Brian Lee) in a wrestling match.

After retiring from professional wrestling, Adams had surgery to attempt to correct his spinal injury, but it left him unfit to continue to wrestle.^[15] Following his retirement, Adams became a bodyguard for his longtime friend, wrestler-turned-rapper Randy Savage, who was touring to promote his CD, Be a Man.^[16] It was reported that Adams was living on income from a Lloyd's of London insurance policy.^[1] Adams expressed interest in opening a health club in Tampa, Florida, which was to be a franchise of fellow wrestler Marc Mero's "Body Slam" training center.^[17]

Death

On August 13, 2007, Adams was found unconscious in his bed by his wife at their Tampa, Florida home. She called 911, but he was pronounced dead by paramedics after they arrived. He was 44 years old.

Adams reportedly received illegal steroids in February 2006, including nandrolone, testosterone and HGH. These drugs were speculated to have played a role in his death.^[18][19]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Chokeslam^[1] – WCW
  • Heart punch^[1] – 1994–1997
  • Kona Clutch (Two handed head vice)^[1] – 1992–1994

• Signature moves
  • Backbreaker^[20][21]
  • Bearhug^[22]
  • Bow and arrow hold^[21]
  • Cuts Like a Knife (Full nelson slam)^[1]
  • Dropkick^[23]
  • Fireman's carry DDT^[1]
  • Flying shoulder block^[24]
  • Gorilla press gutbuster^[1]
  • Gorilla press slam^[25]
  • Headbutt^[20][22]
  • Inverted atomic drop^[22][26]
  • Multiple suplex variations
    • Delayed^[20]
    • Super^[23]
    • Ura-nage^[1]
    • Vertical^[24]
  • Piledriver^[1][20][22]
  • Superkick^[27]
  • Tour of the Islands (Tilt-a-whirl into either a backbreaker^[21][22][28] or a mat slam)^[1]

• With Ax or Smash
  • Demolition Decapitation (Backbreaker hold / Diving elbow drop combination)

• With Bryan Clark
  • High Times (Double chokeslam)^[29]
  • Total Meltdown (Powerbomb (Clark) / Diving clothesline (Adams) combination)^[29]

• Managers
  • Paul Ellering
  • Mr. Fuji
  • Clarence Mason
  • Steven Richards
  • Vincent^[22]

• Nicknames
  • "Big" Bryan Adams (PNW)
  • "B.A." Brian Adams

• Entrance themes
  • "Demolition Daze" by J.Hart, J.J.Maguire, and Rick Derringer (WWF; 1990–1991)
  • "Nation of Domination" by J.Johnston (WWF; used while part of the Nation of Domination; 1996–1997)
  • "Rockhouse" by J.Hart and H.Helm (WCW; used while a part of the New World Order; 1998–1999)

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[5] – with Bryan Clark

• Pacific Northwest Wrestling
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[6]
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (2 times)^[6] – with The Grappler (1) and Steve Doll (1)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #59 of the 100 best tag teams during the PWI Years with Smash and Ax in 2003^[30]

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times)^[6] – with Bryan Clark

• World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[9] – with Smash and Ax¹

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (2001) with Bryan Clark vs. The Undertaker and Kane at Unforgiven
  • Worst Feud of the Year (1997) vs. Los Boricuas
  • Worst Tag Team (2000, 2001) with Bryan Clark

¹Demolition, after Crush became a member, defended the titles via the Freebird Rule

References

External links

• Brian Adams at the Internet Movie Database
• "Brian Adams". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20962412. Retrieved August 10, 2010.