He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Will. RELATED - 10 Best Animals in WWE History, Ranked. Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. Ware's last match on Cagematch.net is listed as a six-man tag team match for Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling in 2019. On television, his first major showcase was at the November 29, 1986 Saturday Night's Main Event VIII where he defeated Nikolai Volkoff. Koko B. Ware (born James Ware on June 20, 1957) is a semi-retired American professional wrestler who made his professional wrestling debut in 1979. During a 1989 European tour, Ware was fired for his part in a physical altercation with WWF executive Jim Troy. While Cook defended his Hall of Fame status since he was very over and some of his losses were historic, Pantoja described him as "the floor for inductees".[37]. He was before my time and just isnt celebrated or brought up as much (on the product) as some others like Slaughter or Backlund. Koko B. Ware keeps his personal and love life private. [7] [8] Bobby Eaton later turned face, he teamed with "Stagger Lee" for a series of matches. During a 1989 European tour, Ware was fired for his part in a physical altercation with WWF executive Jim Troy. Most veteran wrestlers seem to maintain a level of activity, even when they are well past their prime. Ware spent the remainder of the match kicking and stomping his opponent before delivering a stiff brain buster. [29], After being inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Ware has been a point of controversy because, working as a carpenter, he was inducted before world champions Ivan Koloff,[31] Randy Savage or Bruno Sammartino. Harley Race vs KoKo B Ware - YouTube From WWF wrestling, January 1987. There's a hilarious reaction from Jim Cornette and David Bixenspan below, where Cornettespeculates that Maybe Or Maybe Not Del Wilkes was disrespectful and overall terrible in-ring. Ware wrestled for a number of promotions, including the Continental Wrestling Association, before he signed with WWE in 1986. 10 Forgotten WWE Hall Of Famers: Where Are They Now? Ware left the Continental Wrestling Association later that month to join the Universal Wrestling Federation. We would like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates. In one of those wrestling coincidences" a masked man calling himself Stagger Lee debuted; the fact that he looked and wrestled like a masked version of Sweet Brown Sugar helped make him instantly popular. In 2003, Koko returned to the spotlight competing once again in the Memphis area for the Memphis Wrestling promotion. When Dutch Mantel returned to the CWA in early 1981 he quickly defeated Ware for the TV title making Ware's first run with the gold a short one. High Energy feuded with (and generally lost to) The Nasty Boys, The Headshrinkers, and Money Incorporated. In a somewhat surprising move, Ware was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, despite spending most of his WWE career in the mid-card. His final reign ended in January 1986 when he lost to Buddy Landel. [5][7] Eaton and Sugar contested a series of grudge matches centered around the Mid-America title and their issues with each other. Jimmy Garvin's mid 80's brainbuster was a nasty one too. It turned out that the child that the neighbor was referring too was Frankie. In 1986, Ware signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where he was repackaged as the fun loving Birdman" Koko B. Ware. The team lasted until March 1993, but were broken up after Hart suffered a knee injury during a match against The Headshrinkers. Michael Paul Shaw was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Norman the Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation. After being fed up, Hart finally slapped Sugar and sent the sulking superstar back to the dressing room after which Eaton commented that Sugar had been "whining like a woman". On this page, you find the full wrestling profile of Koko B. Ware, with his Career History, real name, age, height and weight, the Promotions he worked for, all the Face/Heel turns, the Championship Titles he won, his Finishers, Theme Songs, Tag Teams and Stables, his appearance changes through the years, and more. He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. He continued wrestling in the promotion through the remainder of the year. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. Many fans today remember Koko B. Ware as one of the late great Owen Hart's tag team partners. Koko Ware Stagger Lee Sweet Brown Sugar Roles: Singles Wrestler Tag Team Wrestler Beginning of in-ring career: 1978 In-ring experience: One of the most confusing things in Koko B. Ware's career, outside his inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame, was an incident that occurred before him being signed by WWE. Koko was born in Union City, Tennessee, on June 20, 1958. Ware made a few appearances for the American Wrestling Federation from 1994 to 1996 but did not become a regular before going into semi-retirement in 1997. 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In 1998 to 1999 he wrestled for Power Pro Wrestling in Memphis. Koko is one of the guys thats just a blind spot to me. With guests such as Brutus Beefcake, Tugboat, and now Koko B Ware, listeners are getting the chance to hear from wrestlers that were stars during Mooney's tenure with the company, but that haven't given many interviews over the years. High Energy feuded with (and generally lost to) The Nasty Boys, The Headshrinkers, and Money Inc.[18] They made only one PPV appearance as a team, a loss to the Headshrinkers at the 1992 Survivor Series. Ware garnered his first big win of his initial WWF run when he upset Harley Race at a house show in East Rutherford, NJ, on October 13. A 28-year old, pre bird Koko Ware is just months away from signing with the World Wrestling Federation. February 27, 2023 Monday Night RAW results, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, United States Wrestling Association (19911995), NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship, NWA Florida United States Tag Team Champion, NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion, Championship Wrestling From Florida alumni, United States Wrestling Association alumni, Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts) alumni, Allied Powers Wrestling Federation alumni, Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling alumni, International World Class Championship Wrestling alumni, NWA Championship International Wrestling alumni, World Class II: The Next Generation alumni, Various Dropkicks (Running, Standing, Missile). He appeared at "WWE Homecoming", Raw's return to the USA Network, on October 3, 2005. 1 comment. The lawsuit claims that WWE was negligent in their treatment of wrestlers with concussions and was similar to lawsuits brought against the NFL, NHL, and many other sports leagues following the wake of concussion and CTE research. Name: James Ware Preferred Name: Koko B. Ware Date Of Birth: Jun 20th 1957 Place of Birth: Union City, Tennessee, United States Nationality: USA Gender: Male Matches: 215 (14 Pay Per View) Ring Name(s): Koko B Ware, Koko Ware, Stagger Lee, Sweet Brown Sugar Since they both disappeared from our screens, most fans may have forgotten about the pair. By Connor Casey - December 21, 2022 06:02 pm EST. Bright outfits, colorful sunglasses, a constant smile and his vibrato singing voice made Ware popular, especially with the younger crowd that the WWF mainly catered to during the 1980s. He left in 1997 before the company shut down later that year. Sugar never got the best of Lawler but did taste tag-team success alongside Steve Keirn and then with Bobby Eaton. When I asked Bix about any possible story he had about this. In August 1986, "The Birdman" felt the time was right to make his WWE debut, coming to the ring with energy personified. Ware was later rehired, a little over a month later, when Troy resigned. During his WWE run, where he became known as the Birdman, Koko B. Ware would often carry his pet Macaw Frankie. Koko's feud with Jimmy Valiant was quickly expanded to include the heel Tojo Yamamoto and Koko ally Tommy Rich. Warlord vs. Koko B. Ware. My old pal David Bixenspan introduced me to this one last year. They remained with the promotion until November 1984. Not only was Ware on the show, but he was in the first match of the night. In September 2009, Ware's wife died from cancer. In 1986, Ware signed with the World Wrestling Federation, where he debuted his fun-loving "Birdman" persona, complete with a macaw named "Frankie". He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. RELATED: 10 Forgotten WWE Hall Of Famers: Where Are They Now? 4. 10 Times Wrestling Matches Got A Little Too Real, negligent in their treatment of wrestlers, Predicting WWE's Hall Of Fame Class Of 2023, 10 WWE Storylines Vince McMahon Refused To Book. Koko spent his early days in the sport in the Mid-South, Georgia and other NWA territories where he impressed fans enough to vote him the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year in 1979. Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar contested a series of grudge matches centered around the Mid-America title and their issues with each other. He fought (and was defeated by) Rob Conway on the October 28, 2005 edition of WWE Heat. I couldn't find the match anywhere on Koko's cagematch profile, probably because he had to work really hard to have it expunged from his record. In 1992, Koko teamed up with Owen Hart to form the high flying team known as High Energy, well known in wrestling circles for their gigantic baggy brightly colored pants and checkered suspenders. The team would lose most of their matches, but were able to challenge Money Inc. for the WWE World Tag Team Championship. Koko B. Ware was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. After being fed up, Hart finally slapped Sugar and sent the sulking superstar back to the dressing room after which Eaton commented that Sugar had been "whining like a woman". Koko B. Ware is a famous Wrestler who has a net worth of $1-5 million. After the match, Jimmy Valiant returned to the ring and beat Koko down. ago. [24]. He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Luke Williams for promotions such as NWA New Zealand, Stampede Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he teamed with Butch as "The Kiwis" and "The Sheepherders". To date, the drive has received over $3,600 of a $10,000 goal. Koko also sang the title track of the 1987 WWF Album "Piledriver". His first victory was on the September 7 episode of Wrestling . In a precursor to what would become a regular team years later, Ware occasionally teamed with Owen Hart, wrestling as The Blue Blazer at the time, throughout 1988 and 1989. He started working for the independent circuit. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Best wishes to Koko B Ware. Robert Lawrence Horne is an American semi-retired professional wrestler who is most famous for his time in the World Wrestling Federation from 1993 to 1996 under the ring name Mo, where he held the WWF World Tag Team Championship with Mabel as "Men on a Mission". Ware was fired for his part in the chaotic . Ware's feud with Valiant was quickly expanded to include the heel Tojo Yamamoto and Ware's ally, Tommy Rich. Troy had used racial slurs during an argument after which the dispute turned physical. 1/1 KOKO B WARE 1990 CLASSIC WWF CARD 119 PRINTING PRESS PLATE WRESTLING VINTAGE. He is best known for his appearances in multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories as Steve Keirn as one-half of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, as well as his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Skinner. On April 4, 2009, Koko was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man. On February 26, 1985, Austin and Ware defeated Jay and Mark Youngblood to win the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship. He had me and my brother flapping our fat little arms like crazy. On the January 25, 1999, edition of WWF Raw is War, Ware made a short-lived return to the World Wrestling Federation where he put on the "Blue Blazer" mask during the Owen Hart angle and Jeff Jarrett in their victory for the tag team championship. [5] During an interview where Eaton and Hart bragged about the victory, Sugar complained that he was unable to win the Southern Title from Terry Taylor. Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed: WrestleMania 3 He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1980s. Copyright 2023 Fightful, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Match Type Shared Team Outcome for Koko B Ware Was eliminated by Koko B Ware Eliminated Koko B Ware; Al Snow (1)1 Event: 1 Match Type: Andre the Giant (4)4 Events: 2 Match Types: Animal (1)1 Event: 1 Match Type: Ax (2)2 Events: 1 Match Type: Bam Bam Bigelow (3)3 Events: 1 Match Type: Barbarian (2)2 Events: 1 Match Type . Koko broke every single flying record with 'Lou' in the 1920's. He was the first man to eat corn while flying a plane, first man to fly around the world in 5 hours, and the most unreccord that he broke was that he was first man to fly naked while drinking RC Cola. There are many things to find out about Koko B. Ware, as there is more to the man than just that bird gimmick. After dropping the gold in Florida, the Pretty Young Things returned to the federation that first put them together, the Continental Wrestling Association. There, they won the AWA Southern Tag Team title twice, both times from The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) as they feuded with the top face team of the promotion. Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review. [21] Koko then embarked on a house show tour in England where he faced Jarrett and Kwang. [5] After the match, Valiant returned to the ring and beat Ware down. Ware's last WWE appearance came in 2005 when he was defeated by Rob Conway on an episode of Heat. [21] Koko picked up his first victory of his return by defeating Bastion Booger on the April 16, 1994, episode of WWF Mania. [27] US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed Ware's lawsuit in September 2018. After the match, Valiant returned to the ring and beat Ware down. In August 1984, The Pretty Young Things began wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. James Ware [1] (born June 20, 1957), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware, is a retired American professional wrestler who made his professional wrestling debut in 1978. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. On May 19, he defeated The Genius and followed it up a night later with three more wins over Poffo later that month. Ware left the Continental Wrestling Association later that month to join the Universal Wrestling Federation. RELATED: The 10 Longest-Tenured WWE Wrestlers To Never Win A Title. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. When Hart died, the angle was dropped and Koko's services were no longer needed. Welcome to Squash City, where Fightful.com takes a look at some of the more fun squash matches in pro wrestling history. The best of Koko B. Ware | WWE WWE Network Shows Superstars Tickets Shop WWE Network Subscribe Now WWE Network Sign up on Peacock WWE Network Sign up on SonyLiv languages English German Spanish Arabic Follow WWE on Facebook Follow WWE on Twitter Follow WWE on Instagram Follow WWE on Reddit Follow WWE on YouTube WWE News WWE Photos WWE Videos Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, and on the independent territorial wrestling circuits. [9] The two men soon began wearing red leather jackets, and each had a single white glove on, in an obvious imitation of Michael Jackson to further enhance their "pretty boy" image. Koko B. Ware is best known for his role in WWE as a mid-card wrestler. [22] Koko faced his former partner Owen Hart on the June 18 episode of Superstars. In February 1986, Koko moved on to Bill Watts' Mid-South/UWF territory, where he started calling himself Koko B. Ware. The team made only one PPV appearance as a team, a loss to the Headshrinkers at the 1992 Survivor Series. James W. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. [26] In 2020 he married Pamela James. Ware, however, would often be on the losing end when he came up against other established stars, such as Butch Reed, Hercules, Greg Valentine, and The Big Boss Man. [5] [6], Ware floundered until September 1981, when he was chosen to referee a Southern Heavyweight Championship title match between Jerry Lawler and the "Dream Machine". He deserves to be in the hall idc idc. During the course of the match Stagger Lee's mask was removed to reveal the man beneath it, prompting a heel turn for Ware. Reddit's largest professional wrestling community. When Dutch Mantel returned to the CWA in early 1981 he quickly defeated Ware for the TV title making Ware's first run with the gold a short one. Eaton, along with the rest of the First Family, tried in vain to unmask Lee but could not manage to do so. AEW Rampage: St. Patrick's Day Slam (2023), 1 BSW Tag Team Championship - with Juicy Johnny, 1 NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) - with Norvell Austin, 7 AWA Southern Tag Team Championship - with Norvell Austin (3), Bobby Eaton (2), Stan Lane (1), Dutch Mantel (1), 6 NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship, 1 NWA Mid-America Television Championship, 2 USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, 1 USWA World Tag Team Championship - with Rex Hargrove, WWE Hall of Fame induction (class of 2009), Legends Pro Wrestling induction (class of 2007). CMLL Viernes Espectacular (3/3/2023) Results: Mistico, Rocky Romero, Soberano Jr & More Compete. Koko also hooked up with Rex Hargrove and won the USWA Tag Team Championship once. He would make his entrances dancing to the ring to the tune of Morris Day and The Time's The Bird, flapping his arms and carrying his pet bird Frankie", who sat on a perch at ringside while Koko wrestled. $54.95 . My god. Koko is on team Hogan in the main event and every time he gets in the crowd goes absolutely nuts. Bobby Eaton later turned face, he teamed with "Stagger Lee" for a series of matches. In 1993, he lost the first Monday Night Raw match to Yokozuna. WWF @ Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena - December 25, 1986 (8,500) Barry O defeated Jerry Valiant Lanny Poffo defeated Jack Kruger He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. Ware's opponent for the night was a wrestler called The Masked Patriot. Slick his here with Warlord, who powers Ware into the corner to start. It's becoming a must listen. If you need to contact a moderator, you can message us here. Koko made his debut as a fan favorite on the September 6, 1986 episode of Superstars, teaming with Paul Roma against Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) in a losing effort. For most of his career, Morton has performed with Robert Gibson as The Rock N' Roll Express, described as "the consummate baby face tag team". He was best known as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as The Road Warriors, with Road Warrior Animal. Koko B Ware. On that very same night that The Rockers went crazy, Ware found himself on the outs with the WWF, after getting into a physical altercation with company executive Jim Troy. On July 14, 2017, Ware appeared in Big Time Wrestling in Newark, CA, and teamed with Shane Kody to defeat the Ballard Brothers. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2015 Topps WWE Road to Wrestlemania Hall of Fame #25 Koko B. Ware wrestling card at the best online prices at eBay! He is at a facility in Mississippi. He left in 1997 before the company shut down later that year. Ware made his debut as a fan favorite on the September 6, 1986, episode of Superstars, teaming with Paul Roma against the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) in a losing effort. Bright outfits, colorful sunglasses, a constant smile and his trademark vibrato voice instantly made Koko a big hit, especially with the younger crowd that the WWF mainly catered to during the 1980s. On September 5, 2009 Ware's wife died after a battle with cancer. Ware is already over 60 years old and has been wrestling since the late 1970s. [23] When Hart died, the angle was dropped and Ware's services were no longer needed. Vote. CREATIVE. He started in the territories, working in Georgia, Mid-South, Memphis and elsewhere. On May 19, he defeated The Genius and followed it up a night later with three more wins over Poffo later that month. He sang so well, in fact, that when WWE released its second album in fall 1987, entitled Piledriver, Koko himself crooned the title track and had a cameo wrestling appearance in the video that was released in support of the album. In 1999, Koko made a short-lived return to the World Wrestling Federation where he put on the Blue Blazer" mask during the Owen Hart angle. Trivia. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986, in the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. Santana comes back into the ring diving into Koko's midsection with a headbutt, but Ware keeps the advantage. That was horrifying. Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed: WrestleMania 3 | WWE This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED Technical details : The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. In December 1984 the Pretty Young Things began wrestling for Championship Wrestling from Florida.