Gerald Brisco

Floyd Gerald ("Jerry") Brisco (born January 24, 1950 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American retired professional wrestler, now working as a road agent for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

In the course of his career, Brisco wrestled for several National Wrestling Alliance member promotions and won dozens of championships. Although in the course of his career he was largely overshadowed by his elder brother, former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco, he, along with Pat Patterson, achieved a degree of fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the onscreen "stooge" of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Career

Amateur career

Gerald Brisco grew up with five siblings and an absent father in Oklahoma. He followed his brother, the legendary Jack Brisco, into sport wrestling, and was eventually awarded an athletics scholarship to Oklahoma State after winning two AAU tournaments.

During the spring break of 1968, Brisco was in Missouri with Jack, and was asked to substitute for his brother's injured tag team partner despite his lack of professional training. After Brisco contracted hepatitis and injured his knee, he decided to drop out of college and become a full-time professional wrestler.

Professional career

Brisco was trained by his brother and debuted in 1969 as his tag team partner, using the name Gerald Brisco. The Brisco Brothers were a highly successful tag team, amassing over twenty tag team championships over the course of thirteen years. They arrived in Florida in 1970 (with Brisco becoming Jerry Brisco) and dominated the singles and tag divisions for several years thereafter. Brisco would amass a number of singles championships throughout the 1970s, and on June 20, 1981 he defeated Les Thornton for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

The Briscos acquired a controlling interest (52%) in Georgia Championship Wrestling, and in 1984 they sold this share to Vince McMahon, enabling him to increase his dominance of the professional wrestling world. As a result, Gerald was given a lifelong job with Vince's World Wrestling Federation. He retired soon after and began working backstage as a Road agent and booker.

Following the 1997 Montreal Screwjob Brisco capitalised on his notoriety by becoming an onscreen "stooge" of Vince McMahon along with Pat Patterson. The duo portrayed a pair of bumbling comic heels and joined The Corporation and the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. They lampooned Hulk Hogan (then working for World Championship Wrestling, the nemesis of the WWF) by mimicking his trademark gestures and using "Real American", his old entrance theme. Ironically, Brisco and his brother helped Hogan break into the wrestling business in the first place.

On the May 18, 2000 episode of Smackdown! Brisco won his first WWF Championship when he pinned a sleeping Crash Holly to win the perpetually contested Hardcore Championship. Crash recovered the title on June 12, 2000 but Brisco was intent on recovering the title. He pursued Crash around New York City, but ran afoul of John Shaft, who had agreed to protect Crash. Brisco eventually regained the title on June 19, 2000 with the aid of Pat Patterson in the midst of a match between Crash and his "cousin", Hardcore Holly. As Patterson and Brisco celebrated Brisco's victory, Patterson poured champagne in Brisco's eyes then broke a second bottle over his head. He then pinned the unconscious Brisco to win the Hardcore Championship. Patterson hid from Brisco in drag in the women's locker room, and, after Brisco pursued him into the locker room, Vince McMahon booked them in a Hardcore Evening Gown Match at King of the Ring on June 25, 2000. In the course of the match, Crash Holly interfered and pinned Patterson, regaining the title.

Gerald Brisco remains an important WWE employee. He also owns a car garage with his brothers Jack and Bill, known as the Brisco Body Shop.

On July 15, 2005, Brisco was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Finishing move

Figure four leglock

Championships and accomplishments

National Wrestling Alliance
- 1-time NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Champion (with Thunderbolt Patterson)
- 2-time NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time NWA Florida Junior Heavyweight Champion
- 3-time NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion
- 8-time NWA Florida Tag Team Champion (with Jack Brisco)
- 1-time NWA Florida Television Champion
- 5-time NWA Florida United States Tag Team Champion (with Jack Brisco)
- 5-time NWA Georgia Tag Team Champion (1-time with Bob Backlund, 2-time with Jack Brisco, 1-time with Ole Anderson, 1-time with Rocky Johnson)
- 2-time NWA North American Tag Team Champion (with Jack Brisco)
- 1-time NWA Southeast Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion
- 3-time NWA World Tag-Team Champion (with Jack Brisco)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 217 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- PWI ranked him # 54 of the best tag teams during the "PWI Years" (with Jack Brisco).
World Wrestling Council
- 1-time WWC Junior Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time WWC North American Tag Team Champion (with Jack Brisco)
World Wrestling Federation
- 2-time WWF Hardcore Champion

References

External link

1950 births | American professional wrestlers | Living people | People from Oklahoma | Professional wrestling executives