Everything about Fred Ottman totally explained
Fred Ottman (born
August 5 1956 in
Norfolk, Virginia) is a retired
American professional wrestler best known for his stints in both the
World Wrestling Federation and
World Championship Wrestling.
Career
Early career
Ottman made his pro debut in 1984, soon settling into the Memphis territory, where he made his first big impact as
Big Bubba the Belt Collector (not to be confused with
Big Bubba Rogers, AKA Ray Traylor) in a feud with
Jerry Lawler. After leaving Memphis, he headed to Texas All Star Wrestling where he was champion and feuded with Al Madril, Mike Golden, and Jonathan Boyd, among others. Ottman then headed back to Memphis as a heel then to
Florida Championship Wrestling and became
U.S. Steel (later changed to
Big Steel Man because of legal threats from the
U.S. Steel Corporation) and feuded with
Dusty and
Dustin Rhodes.
World Wrestling Federation
Tugboat
Ottman first appeared in the
WWF in the June of 1989, where he wrestled as
Big Man Steel once, with
Slick as his manager.. He joined the WWF full time that September, wrestling first as
Tugboat Tyler on house shows, then as
Tugboat Thomas (later
Tugboat) upon his TV debut in January 1990. His character developed a close friendship with
Hulk Hogan, and assisted Hogan in his
feud with
Earthquake. He also was a participant in the
1991 Royal Rumble.
Typhoon
Ottman later became
Typhoon after he attacked
The Bushwhackers during a six-man tag team match. As Typhoon, he and Earthquake entered the tag team ranks as
The Natural Disasters. They were managed by
Jimmy Hart. After breaking away from Hart, the Natural Disasters defeated
Money Incorporated for the
WWF Tag Team Championship in
1992.
No explicit separation with Earthquake was given on TV. However, their last known match together was the Royal Rumble 1993 when Earthquake exchanged blows with his partner Typhoon, ultimately eliminating him.
Typhoon made a few appearances on Monday Night Raw in the months that followed, including in the TV match debut of Doink the Clown, before leaving the WWF in July 1993.
He made a brief return stint to the WWF from May to August 1994, ironically storylined to be a revenge mission against Yokozuna for ending Earthquake's 1994 WWF comeback.
World Championship Wrestling
The Shockmaster incident
In
1993, Ottman would find himself the victim of one of the most embarrassing moments in wrestling history.
WCW had recently signed Ottman from the WWF, and he was to make his debut in a match alongside
Sting,
Dustin Rhodes, and
Davey Boy Smith. He would be their
mystery partner in the upcoming eight-man tag match against the
heel team,
Sid Vicious,
Big Van Vader, and
Harlem Heat (comprised of brothers
Kole and
Kane) at
Fall Brawl.
When Sting and Smith were about to unveil their mystery partner, they did so during a live
interview (on
A Flair for the Gold, hosted by
Ric Flair) in front of the WCW audience together with Sid and Harlem Heat. Sting would say, "All I've to say is... our partner is going to
shock the world because he's none other than...
The Shockmaster!" The camera zoomed in on a particular section of the set where two torches set off a small pyrotechnics explosion in front of a
sheetrock wall. The Shockmaster was supposed to make his entrance by crashing through that wall in his new attire, consisting of a
Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet painted silver and covered in glitter, a pair of jeans, and a long black vest.
As the camera was in for a close up, the upper part of his body broke through the wall, but the rest of his body did not, causing Ottman to fall through the rest of the wall. He slid across the floor, and his helmet rolled off long enough for audiences to see who it was while he scrambled to put it back on. Even the announcers were speechless. However, Flair was heard to say "Oh, God!" at what happened, and shortly afterwards Davey Boy Smith was heard to say "He fell flat on his arse! Fell flat on his fucking arse!"
Despite this, The Shockmaster resumed his entrance as if nothing had happened, and he continued walking up to Sid and Harlem Heat. The interview is generally considered one of the most laughable in wrestling history, with the Shockmaster verbally threatening the four heels with, "They call me The Shockmaster. You've ruled the world long enough, Sid Vicious. Get ready! Come on, you want a piece of me? You want a piece of me? Come and get me. Come after me, Sid! I'm ready." The audience was dumbfounded, giving no reaction whatsoever and the heels were clearly trying to stop themselves from laughing while he delivered his threat. The Shockmaster's voice was a prerecorded tape that was provided by
Ole Anderson. Anderson used the same voice effects as he did for another infamous WCW
angle, the
Black Scorpion. Later, WCW attempted to salvage the incident by introducing a new character called the "Super Shockmaster." Also portrayed by Ottman, this was intended to be the Shockmaster's nephew, who would then refer to the Shockmaster as "Uncle Fred." After that point, the Shockmaster was portrayed as a
klutz until the character was eventually abandoned.
Later career
Ottman returned to the WWF in 2001 (as Tugboat) for the gimmick
battle royal at
WrestleMania X-Seven which was won by
Iron Sheik.
Personal life
Ottman now lives in Florida operating his own truck, driving freight over the road and coaching the
Little League team of his three sons, Berkley, Bailey, and Beau.
In wrestling
Managers » *Jimmy Hart
*Downtown Bruno » *Slick
Championships and accomplishments
Continental Wrestling Association » *AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jerry Lawler (1) and Goliath (1)
*CWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time) » *NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Independent Association of Wrestling » *IAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bill Eadie
Pro Wrestling Illustrated » *PWI ranked him # 490 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
Professional Wrestling Florida » *PWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Super World of Sports » *SWS Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Earthquake
World Wrestling Federation » *WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Earthquake
Other titles » *CPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brett Sawyer
Further Information
Get more info on 'Fred Ottman'.
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