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Brian Hildebrand as Kowabunga |
The picture to your left is an actual wrestling gimmick from 1992. It's Brian Hildebrand aka Mark Curtis, a wrestler who eventually turned referee. He wrestled in the Smoky Mountain Championship Wrestling group as Kowabunga. A gimmick dedicated to the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
I didn't really follow SMW back in the day, so all I know about is what I've read online. And there's not even a whole lot there. I can't find anything on Youtube, I was hoping to link something. I can only imagine back then when wrestling was a bit more cartoon than athletic event that Kowabunga was probably over with fans. Maybe.
I do know Brian only wrestled sporadically and did the referee thing for most of his career. His life was cut too short though when he died in 1999 of bowel and colon cancer. He was only 37. (So am I)
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From Chikara Fans |
The Turtle won the gimmick of the year award among voters on the Burning Hammer website back in 2009.
Again, I don't know a whole lot about Steve or his gimmick. I just watched a promo of his on Youtube. He's a little out there. But I think to be involved in wrestling, you have to be a little out there.
Judging from this video, he seems to be almost like a Eugene/George Steele/Norman the Lunatic type character. Yes, I'm calling the turtle slow. Someone must like him, as he won the gimmick of the year award. I'm guessing he's a marketable face, with lots of turtle type merchandise to sell between matches.
So, so far one the first day of Christmas my true fans brought to me: a Red Rooster in a Wrestling Ring.
On the second day, I got two turtle jobbers. I wonder what's coming tomorrow...
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