Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)

Kevin Francis Sullivan is a professional wrestler known mostly for his feuds with the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, Mike Graham in the NWA's Florida promotion, and Chris Benoit in the WCW.

Career

Early days

Sullivan started wrestling in 1972 for Florida Championship Wrestling. He was a face and teamed with Mike Graham. He was into bodybuilding at the time too.

In 1976, he wrestled briefly for the WWWF.

Florida Championship Wrestling

In 1981, he turned on Graham and started a feud. For the next few years, he was known as a Satan-worshipping heel in Florida Championship Wrestling & Southwest Championship Wrestling (long before The Undertaker character was born in the WWF).

He had a stable of wrestlers and valets to help him with his nefarious doings. The Fallen Angel was his female sidekick who was evil but had model-quality looks. The "Fallen Angel" later became "Woman" and was Sullivan's real life wife, Nancy, whom he later divorced; she went on to marry fellow professional wrestler Chris Benoit. Some of his male sidekicks were "Maniac" Mark Lewin, "Maniac" Mike Davis (who was put under a "spell" to act like Dusty Rhodes), Jake Roberts, Superstar Billy Graham, Buzz Sawyer (who he led to the ring on a chain), Maha Singh and Karma. Oliver Humperdink managed them. They feuded with Dusty Rhodes, Bugsy McGraw, Blackjack Mulligan, Barry Windham and Mike Graham.

This group broke up by 1986, and he feuded with Bad News Allen and Mike Rotunda. Sullivan spent from September to December in 1986 feuding with Brad and Steve Armstrong in Alabama's Southeast Championship Wrestling.

He was back in Florida in 1987 and feuding with Lex Luger and Scott Hall. He left Florida for the NWA in December 1987.

NWA

Sullivan formed The Varsity Club upon arrival in the NWA with Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner. They immediately started feuding with Jimmy Garvin because Sullivan wanted his wife Precious for himself. This feud lasted awhile with Sullivan "breaking" Garvin's leg at one point.

Steiner left the group and was replaced by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Dan Spivey. They feuded with Dusty Rhodes, the Road Warriors, Rick Steiner and Eddie Gilbert. Sullivan even attacked Gilbert's wife Missy Hyatt. By late 1989, the Varsity Club was gone, and Sullivan formed Slaughterhouse with Cactus Jack and Buzz Sawyer to feud with Rotunda.

Sullivan took time off in late 1990 and returned in early 1991 as the manager of One Man Gang, Black Blood, and the Angel of Death. They cut El Gigante's hair and had a brief feud. Sullivan also was the masked Merlin the Wizard briefly to manage Oz.

SMW & ECW

In 1992, Sullivan went to Smoky Mountain Wrestling and reunited with Fallen Angel, now called Devil Angel. He feuded with Brian Lee and managed the Nightstalker.

He went to ECW in early 1993 and teamed with Tasmaniac with Devil Angel, now called Woman. They won the Tag Team Titles and feuded with "Public Enemy" Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock. Sullivan also had a bloody feud with Abdullah The Butcher. Sullivan left Woman behind and headed to WCW in spring 1994.

WCW

He formed a tag team with his "brother" Dave Sullivan, a dyslexic character who referred to himself as "Evad" who was being picked on by The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs). He enlisted Cactus Jack's help and beat them for the Tag Team Titles. Dave was injured and out of action for awhile and Sullivan split with Cactus after losing the titles and he defeated Cactus in a Loser Leaves WCW Match at Fall Brawl on September 18, 1994.

Dave came back and dressed like his idol, Hulk Hogan. This infuriated Sullivan, who hated Hogan, and they started feuding. Sullivan brought in Hogan's best friend, Ed Leslie, as The Butcher to feud with him. He also brought in Avalanche and called the trio the 3 Faces of Fear.

They feuded with Hogan, Randy Savage and Sting.

In early 1995, after not being able to end Hogan's career, Avalanche left the group and Sullivan turned on Butcher. Sullivan immediately started putting together a new group with the help of his mentor, The Master. They called it the Dungeon of Doom and it included Kamala, The Barbarian, Meng, Manager Jimmy Hart, Shark (formerly Avalanche), Zodiac, Yeti, Hugh Morrus, One Man Gang and for a very short time, Vader.

They feuded with the Four Horsemen and Sullivan had a special disliking for Brian Pillman (this was during the infamous worked shoot angle—see Pillman's article for details).

Once Sullivan sent Pillman packing, the Dungeon and the Horsemen rejoined forces to get rid of Hulk Hogan and his friends. They brought in The Giant, Maxx Muscle and Big Bubba Rogers to help. They even formed the Alliance To End Hulkamania with the Horsemen in a failed attempt to do so. When they couldn't get the job done, Sullivan and Chris Benoit of the Horsemen picked up where Pillman left off and started a feud. This was a brutal feud and lasted over a year. Benoit stole Sullivan's real life wife Woman from him onscreen and ironically, in real life too. Sullivan brought in Jacquelyn to help him and also added Konnan to the Dungeon.

Sullivan lost a retirement match to Benoit at Bash at the Beach on July 13, 1997. He was already the booker so it gave him more time to do that job. He soon came up with an angle where Woman would be topless on a PPV and she refused and left WCW. They divorced and she married Benoit.

"Retirement"

Sullivan stayed on as the booker or a member of the WCW booking committee and made a brief onscreen appearance with the reformed Varsity Club of Rotunda and Rick Steiner with their cheerleader, Leia Meow. After a couple of months, he was back off TV.

Sullivan is among those blamed for the 2000 departure of Chris Benoit Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Perry Saturn from WCW, though by no direct action of his own. After the departure of Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo, the resulting chaos led to Sullivan's promotion to head booker. This move infuriated a number of WCW wrestlers, given Sullivan's history of professional rivalries (notably Benoit) and poor decisions. Sullivan booked Benoit to win the WCW title at Souled Out 2000 in a desperate attempt to quell the uprising, but Benoit, Malenko, Guererro and Saturn would quit the night after, immediately signing with the WWF. Sullivan would be fired before WCW's sale in 2001.

Sullivan still makes occasional appearances on the independent circuit, mainly in Florida. He owns a gym in the Florida Keys, called "Froggy's".

Finishing/Trademark Moves

Managers

Championships/Accomplishments

Southeast Championship Wrestling

2-Time NWA Southeast Continental Heavyweight Champion
2-Time NWA Southeast Tag Team Champion (with Ken Lucas)
2-Time NWA Southeast United States Junior Heavyweight Champion

Other titles

1-Time Polynesian Pacific Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
1-Time AWC Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Can-Am Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Southwest Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Mid-Southern Tag Team Champion (with Len Rossi)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 106 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
Sullivan won the 1981 PWI Most Improved Wrestler Award.

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Career

Early days

Florida Championship Wrestling

NWA

SMW & ECW

WCW

"Retirement"

Finishing/Trademark Moves

Managers

Championships/Accomplishments

World Championship Wrestling

National Wrestling Alliance

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Florida Championship Wrestling

Southeast Championship Wrestling

Other titles