Billy Jack Haynes

William Haynes, Jr. was a professional wrestler better known as Billy Jack Haynes.

Career

Billy Jack Haynes (born William Haynes, Jr.) started wrestling in 1982. He started wrestling as Billy Jack in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) territory but had to change his name when Tom Laughlin (who starred in the movie Billy Jack) threatened to sue him. He added his real last name to the gimmick and continued to work as a face.

He feuded heavily with Rip Oliver until 1984, when he had a brief run in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and then a run in World Class Championship Wrestling in 1985. He started splitting his time between PNW and FCW and wrestled with partner Wahoo McDaniel in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions where they feuded with Ole and Arn Anderson. He had just begun a feud with The Barbarian over who was the strongest man in the territory when he abruptly left the company.

In 1986, Haynes went to the World Wrestling Federation and feuded with "Macho Man" Randy Savage over the intercontinental title and then with Hercules Hernandez over who was stronger and more muscular. Their feud in the WWF culminated with what was dubbed "The Battle of the Full Nelsons" at Wrestlemania III, where the two men battled to a double count-out. He quit the WWF after refusing to do a job in his hometown of Portland, Oregon though sometimes it is reported that he actually wrestled the match with the finish reworked and then fired afterwards[http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=33924.

He went back to Oregon in 1987 and wrestled in their independents until he showed up in World Championship Wrestling with the gimmick of a masked executioner from France named Black Blood in Kevin Sullivan's stable. He soon left WCW and went back to the PNW territory where he was a heel this time and feuded with top babyface Steve Doll.

He spoke out against Vince McMahon and the WWF in 1992 when McMahon was indicted on steroid charges, and stated that the working conditions were terrible and about how ruthless McMahon was.

He showed up next in the United States Wrestling Association in 1995 and retired in early 1996.

In recent news, Haynes ended up in a hospital when he was attacked outside a body shop on Southeast Foster Road in Portland. This was due to Haynes' skimming off the top while being a mule in a marijuana smuggling operation some years ago ^*. Haynes himself admitted the motivation behind the attack on his person since the statute of limitations on the laws he broke had run out.

Finishing Manuvers

Full Nelson
La Guillotine

Championships/Accomplishments

Pacific Northwest Wrestling

Florida Championship Wrestling

1-Time Florida Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Florida United States Tag Team Champion (with Wahoo McDaniel)

Other titles

1-Time WCCW Television Champion
1-Time Oregon Wrestling Federation Champion
2-Time USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 143 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. Haynes also won the 1984 PWI Most Improved Wrestler Award.

Trivia

Haynes often wore a t-shirt on TBS during his time in Jim Crockett Promotions that said "Women Prefer Haynes", a play on his last name and the slogan of Hanes brand panty hose.
During his stint in the WWF in the 1980s, Haynes usually wore yellow and green - the school colors of the University of Oregon - and his trunks and boots often sported the outline of the state of Oregon.
He wrestled a then unknown Shawn Michaels in 1985 whilt part of WCCW.

1953 births | American professional wrestlers | Dungeon graduates | Living people

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