Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
Profile: Bob Backlund
If there is a single pro wrestler whose career accents the change from the era of old-time wrestling to modern times, its Bob Backlund. As well, if there is a performer who got caught between the two eras and found his highly successful career suddenly leaving him out in the cold, its also Backlund.
He was a product of the times, a highly trained, totally polished technical wrestler whom fans came to regard highly due to those characteristics, rather than despite them. Back then, fans flocked to the arena to see skillful wrestling. Compare this to many of todays fans who are turned off by an Alberto Del Rio or Lance Storm because they are bored watching a performer working a match, not having the patience to sit and admire the efforts of the competitors.
In Backlunds day, they appreciated and enjoyed it ..and Backlund enjoyed a 5-year run as WWF champion, a period of time exceeded only by Bruno Sammartino, who was the same type of performer.
At the time Backlunds title reign was ending, the era of Hulk Hogan was beginning ..and WWF/WWE began the process of changing pro wrestling, turning fans from spectators who came to see skillful wrestling to folks who came to witness the spectacle brought by Hogan and everything that followed; more entertainment than pure competition. Wrestlers like Bob Backlund found themselves relics of a bygone era.
Bob Backlund , born in 1949, turned pro wrestler in 1973 after having attained a thorough grounding in the sport during his years as a varsity grappler in high school and a distinguished turn as a collegiate wrestler at North Dakota State. During these years, he learned to wrestle but never to perform, as was the way with serious competitors back then. Partially as a result, he was held back in later years, during which performance skills had become necessary.
In 73, he started wrestling as a pro, and the experience he attained was of the highest quality. Backlund worked for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and their various extension companies, including Georgia Championship Wrestling. He faced and defeated the finest performers of the time and, having gained the necessary experience and popularity, joined the World Wrestling Federation, working there for nearly a year before defeating Superstar Billy Graham for the world championship in February 1978 and holding it until the very end of December 1983, when he lost to the Iron Sheik. During his title years, he wrestled valiantly and true to character. As well, he wrestled often, defending his belt on regular TV and engaging in tag team matches. He served his profession with honor and integrity. It was only the year before his title loss that he changed character, becoming a caricature of himself, trimming his hair to a crewcut and wearing a singlet to stress his classic roots. The fans didnt like the change and this quickened the pace of Backlunds eventual downfall.
Meanwhile, the Iron Sheik reigned as a transitional champion who won the title only to enable Hulk Hogan to win it shortly after. The storyline had Backlunds manager, Arnold Skaaland, literally throw in the towel to protect his wrestler from Iron Sheiks signature hold, the Camel Clutch.
As to the Backlund-Hogan connection ..there was little after Backlund lost his title ..and it was clear the WWF regarded Backlund as the past and wasnt about to let him have the title back. Still, although many fans dont realize it, Hogan had a run in WWF a few years earlier. Wrestling as a heel, he met champion Backlund several times and although the title didnt change hands, their series turned out to be a meeting of the past and future of WWF.
After losing his title, WWF wanted Backlund to turn heel, in part to make him an attractive opponent for Hogan. Backlunds refusal to do so left him out in the cold. While it could be argued that everyone turns heel during their careers, Backlunds old-school attitude and honest desire to be a role model toward younger fans wouldnt permit him to make the move. Its interesting to speculate what might have happened in his WWF career had he turned heel when the company wanted him to.
After continuing to work in nondescript fashion for WWF, he left the company. For a while, he appeared to have retired, working as a laborer installing sheetrock in his home in Glastonbury Connecticut, but when a conglomeration of wrestling organizations determined to combat Vince McMahon Jr.s efforts to expand his territory called, Backlund went to work for them. He remained a good guy and wrestled as well as ever, but Pro Wrestling USA was so disorganized and fractured that no one, including Backlund, came out of the aborted effort with any glory.
From that point, Backlund stayed in semi-retirement, appearing in the ring here and there but spending most of his time coaching wrestling on a high school level.
In 1992, WWE asked him back and, even at age 43, he began wrestling in the classic, good-guy style to which he had always adhered. He didn't rise higher than the mid-card, having nothing new to offer the fans. Somewhere along the line, though, he finally acceded to the companys wishes to have him turn heel. During a match with Bret Hart, Backlund snapped, trapping Hart in a hold, shrieking his head off and adopting the eccentric persona he uses to this day. Vince McMahon was apparently moved enough to allow Backlund to win the world title once more, albeit a 3-day reign that saw the belt passed to Diesel. Someone in management was obviously impressed with the insane character adopted by Backlund, although Bob never explained how he came to so completely alter his personal philosophies. It seemed so contrary to everything fans knew about Backlund that many speculated he had truly lost his bearings.
Backlund wrestled on for a while, then unofficially retired and became a heel manager, dressed in outlandish suits and a bowtie as he ran around espousing his skewed values .the total antithesis of everything he claimed to hold close to his heart during his career. It was bizarre, a little scary ..yet somehow entertaining because since fans were crying for something different from him .here it was.
He was in and out of WWE in the years following, at one point becoming the manager of a young Kurt Angle, working a storyline in which he showed tough love for Angle by having Kurt beat up. It seemed a promising program, yet when we tuned in the following week, Backlund no longer worked for WWE. Although Angle told viewers he had fired Backlund for his actions the week before, no official explanation for the termination of Backlunds actual employment ever emerged.....which somehow fit his 'oddball' character.
Instead, he had a brief run with TNA which was forgettable before he returned to WWE in 2007, playing the bad guy to the hilt ..although now on a contract basis rather than a full time role .. charging around and imposing his personal philosophies on anyone who would listen ..a complete change of character for the man who valued hard, clean, scientific wrestling and moral values above all else.
Backlund had exactly the right style for the early stages of his career .and exactly the wrong style during the later period when the era of cartoonish wrestling brought in by Hogan took over. One wonders how Backlunds pro wrestling career might have turned out had he decided to make this change much earlier.
If there is a single pro wrestler whose career accents the change from the era of old-time wrestling to modern times, its Bob Backlund. As well, if there is a performer who got caught between the two eras and found his highly successful career suddenly leaving him out in the cold, its also Backlund.
He was a product of the times, a highly trained, totally polished technical wrestler whom fans came to regard highly due to those characteristics, rather than despite them. Back then, fans flocked to the arena to see skillful wrestling. Compare this to many of todays fans who are turned off by an Alberto Del Rio or Lance Storm because they are bored watching a performer working a match, not having the patience to sit and admire the efforts of the competitors.
In Backlunds day, they appreciated and enjoyed it ..and Backlund enjoyed a 5-year run as WWF champion, a period of time exceeded only by Bruno Sammartino, who was the same type of performer.
At the time Backlunds title reign was ending, the era of Hulk Hogan was beginning ..and WWF/WWE began the process of changing pro wrestling, turning fans from spectators who came to see skillful wrestling to folks who came to witness the spectacle brought by Hogan and everything that followed; more entertainment than pure competition. Wrestlers like Bob Backlund found themselves relics of a bygone era.
Bob Backlund , born in 1949, turned pro wrestler in 1973 after having attained a thorough grounding in the sport during his years as a varsity grappler in high school and a distinguished turn as a collegiate wrestler at North Dakota State. During these years, he learned to wrestle but never to perform, as was the way with serious competitors back then. Partially as a result, he was held back in later years, during which performance skills had become necessary.
In 73, he started wrestling as a pro, and the experience he attained was of the highest quality. Backlund worked for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and their various extension companies, including Georgia Championship Wrestling. He faced and defeated the finest performers of the time and, having gained the necessary experience and popularity, joined the World Wrestling Federation, working there for nearly a year before defeating Superstar Billy Graham for the world championship in February 1978 and holding it until the very end of December 1983, when he lost to the Iron Sheik. During his title years, he wrestled valiantly and true to character. As well, he wrestled often, defending his belt on regular TV and engaging in tag team matches. He served his profession with honor and integrity. It was only the year before his title loss that he changed character, becoming a caricature of himself, trimming his hair to a crewcut and wearing a singlet to stress his classic roots. The fans didnt like the change and this quickened the pace of Backlunds eventual downfall.
Meanwhile, the Iron Sheik reigned as a transitional champion who won the title only to enable Hulk Hogan to win it shortly after. The storyline had Backlunds manager, Arnold Skaaland, literally throw in the towel to protect his wrestler from Iron Sheiks signature hold, the Camel Clutch.
As to the Backlund-Hogan connection ..there was little after Backlund lost his title ..and it was clear the WWF regarded Backlund as the past and wasnt about to let him have the title back. Still, although many fans dont realize it, Hogan had a run in WWF a few years earlier. Wrestling as a heel, he met champion Backlund several times and although the title didnt change hands, their series turned out to be a meeting of the past and future of WWF.
After losing his title, WWF wanted Backlund to turn heel, in part to make him an attractive opponent for Hogan. Backlunds refusal to do so left him out in the cold. While it could be argued that everyone turns heel during their careers, Backlunds old-school attitude and honest desire to be a role model toward younger fans wouldnt permit him to make the move. Its interesting to speculate what might have happened in his WWF career had he turned heel when the company wanted him to.
After continuing to work in nondescript fashion for WWF, he left the company. For a while, he appeared to have retired, working as a laborer installing sheetrock in his home in Glastonbury Connecticut, but when a conglomeration of wrestling organizations determined to combat Vince McMahon Jr.s efforts to expand his territory called, Backlund went to work for them. He remained a good guy and wrestled as well as ever, but Pro Wrestling USA was so disorganized and fractured that no one, including Backlund, came out of the aborted effort with any glory.
From that point, Backlund stayed in semi-retirement, appearing in the ring here and there but spending most of his time coaching wrestling on a high school level.
In 1992, WWE asked him back and, even at age 43, he began wrestling in the classic, good-guy style to which he had always adhered. He didn't rise higher than the mid-card, having nothing new to offer the fans. Somewhere along the line, though, he finally acceded to the companys wishes to have him turn heel. During a match with Bret Hart, Backlund snapped, trapping Hart in a hold, shrieking his head off and adopting the eccentric persona he uses to this day. Vince McMahon was apparently moved enough to allow Backlund to win the world title once more, albeit a 3-day reign that saw the belt passed to Diesel. Someone in management was obviously impressed with the insane character adopted by Backlund, although Bob never explained how he came to so completely alter his personal philosophies. It seemed so contrary to everything fans knew about Backlund that many speculated he had truly lost his bearings.
Backlund wrestled on for a while, then unofficially retired and became a heel manager, dressed in outlandish suits and a bowtie as he ran around espousing his skewed values .the total antithesis of everything he claimed to hold close to his heart during his career. It was bizarre, a little scary ..yet somehow entertaining because since fans were crying for something different from him .here it was.
He was in and out of WWE in the years following, at one point becoming the manager of a young Kurt Angle, working a storyline in which he showed tough love for Angle by having Kurt beat up. It seemed a promising program, yet when we tuned in the following week, Backlund no longer worked for WWE. Although Angle told viewers he had fired Backlund for his actions the week before, no official explanation for the termination of Backlunds actual employment ever emerged.....which somehow fit his 'oddball' character.
Instead, he had a brief run with TNA which was forgettable before he returned to WWE in 2007, playing the bad guy to the hilt ..although now on a contract basis rather than a full time role .. charging around and imposing his personal philosophies on anyone who would listen ..a complete change of character for the man who valued hard, clean, scientific wrestling and moral values above all else.
Backlund had exactly the right style for the early stages of his career .and exactly the wrong style during the later period when the era of cartoonish wrestling brought in by Hogan took over. One wonders how Backlunds pro wrestling career might have turned out had he decided to make this change much earlier.