Wendell Cooley: Difference between revisions
←Created page with '{short description|American retired professional wrestler}} {{Infobox professional wrestler |name = Wendell Cooley |birthname = |image = |caption = |names = Wendell Cooley<br />Rick Casey<br />Heartbreaker Apollo |height = 6"1 |weight = {{convert|220|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=9620|title=Wendell Coole...' |
(No difference)
|
Revision as of 03:14, 8 March 2024
{short description|American retired professional wrestler}}
| Wendell Cooley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Milton, Florida |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Wendell Cooley Rick Casey Heartbreaker Apollo |
| Billed height | 6"1 |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | San Antonio, Texas |
| Debut | 1981 |
| Retired | 2019 |
Wendell Cooley is an American retired professional wrestler, best known as Wildcat Wendell Cooley and sometimes Rick Casey. He appeared in the Southern territories for Continental Wrestling Association, Continental Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling.[2]
Professional wrestling career
Cooley made his professional wrestling debut in 1981. On August 31, 1985, while wrestling for Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling, Cooley teamed with Al Perez and defeated the team of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Bruiser Bob Sweetan for the Mid-South Tag Team Championship. Sweetan was substituting for Ted DiBiase while DiBiase was touring Asia.[3] In 1986, Cooley won his first singles title in Memphis, Tennessee defeating Dutch Mantel for the AWA International Heavyweight Championship.[4]
On December 28, 1987, Cooley won a Mink Coat Tournament defeating Dutch Mantel in the finals in Birmingham, Alabama for Continental Championship Wrestling.[5]
After both Continental Wrestling Association and Continental Championship Wrestling in 1989, Cooley worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) based in Atlanta in 1990 as a jobber to the stars.[6]
In 1991, he formed a tag team with Frankie Lancaster as the Heartbreakers in Puerto Rico with Cooley as Apollo and Lancaster as Adonis. They won the WWC World Tag Team Championship defeating El Bronco and Invader #1. The Heartbreakers won the title two more times feuding with Rex King and Ricky Santana.
In 1992, they made an appearance in the World Wrestling Federation losing to The Bushwhackers.[7]
After Frankie Lancaster left WCW in 2000, The Heartbreakers reunited in the independent circuit and continued teaming up occasionally.
Cooley worked for NWA Wrestle Birmingham. He won the Texas Heavyweight Title defeating Tom Prichard on November 22, 2014 at GCW Southern Legends Fanfest in Pell City, Alabama.
He retired from wrestling in 2019.
Championships and accomplishments
- Mid-South Wrestling
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Perez.
- NWA Mid-America / Continental Wrestling Association
- Southwest Championship Wrestling
- SCW Southwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jerry Oske
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC World Tag Team Championship (3 times)- with Frankie Lancaster[10]
References
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wendell Cooley - Facts @ Wrestlingdata.com". wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ "Wendell Cooley Profile". Cagematch. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
- ^ "Mid-South Wrestling". kayfabememories.com.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181010/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/awaint.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Mink Coat Tournament". Cagematch. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
- ^ "1990". Thehistoryofwwe.com. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ "1992". Thehistoryofwwe.com. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ "CWA International Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ "CWA Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Titleswas invoked but never defined (see the help page).