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Tony Atlas

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Tony Atlas
Born (1944-04-23) April 23, 1944 (age 80) [1]
Roanoke, Virginia[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Tony Atlas
Saba Simba
Billed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Billed weight261 lb (118 kg)
Trained byLarry Sharpe
Debut1974[1]

Anthony White[1] (born April 23, 1944) better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is a bodybuilder, powerlifter, and former professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by the bodybuilding title he won 3 times "Mr. USA" the nom de guerre the "Black Superman" as well as an alter ego named Saba Simba. He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment as the manager of Mark Henry as well as wrestling occasionally on it's ECW brand.

Career

1970s–1990s

Atlas started wrestling in 1975 for the National Wrestling Alliance World Wide/Mid Atlantic area. His debut, on July 10, was a tag team match with Bob Bruggers against Art Neilson and The Blue Scorpion. The match finished with Atlas winning the fall for his team with a sleeper hold on the Blue Scorpion.

Throughout his career he worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, the World Wrestling Council (WWC), World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Among his regular partners were Tommy Rich (as "TNT"), Dick Murdoch, and Rocky Johnson. He was also the very first man to press slam and pin Hulk Hogan though Hogan's foot was on the rope and the referee didn't see it.[citation needed]

During his time with the NWA, Atlas captured the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title with Tommy Rich. He later teamed with Mr. Wrestling II, Thunderbolt Patterson, Kevin Sullivan, and Rocky Johnson. In the WWF, Tony teamed with Rocky Johnson to defeat the Wild Samoans to win the WWF World tag team title, becoming the first Black team to hold the belts.[2][3] After losing the titles to Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, Johnson soon departed, and Atlas was used as a mid card talent in the WWF in short lived tag teams with Ivan Putski, Lanny Poffo and George Wells.

In 1987, Tony left for the Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling where he adopted the moniker of "The Black Superman". He had almost instant success when he teamed with Skip Young to win the World Class Texas Tag Team Title. Atlas left the company in 1988.

Atlas then moved on to the Northeast independent area in late 1988. He joined International Championship Wrestling (owned and operated by Mario Savoldi) where he turned heel and under the management of The Duke (not Pete Doherty) won the ICW Heavyweight title from Joe Savoldi.

In late 1990, after a winning a battle with drug addiction a rejuvenated Atlas returned to the WWF, reinvented as Saba Simba and was a competitor in the 1991 Royal Rumble. He played a warrior of an Ugandan tribe, but the gimmick was unpopular, and he left for WCW shortly thereafter. In 1992, he wrestled in WCW, and in 1994 for the American Wrestling Federation (AWF).

While working for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, Atlas witnessed the murder of Bruiser Brody by another wrestler, Jose Gonzalez (Invader #1). Atlas was never called back to testify.

2006–2008

On April 1, 2006, Tony Atlas was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by S.D. Jones.[2]

While in his early sixties, Atlas continued to wrestle in many independent promotions on the east coast and currently runs his own promotion throughout the New England area called Atlas Pro Wrestling. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and trains at Fitness World in Lewiston, Maine and is also an accomplished artist, in what fields is unknown.[1]

WWE Return, ECW brand (2008-present)

Atlas appeared on the July 8, 2008 airing of ECW where Theodore Long appointed him the special guest ring announcer for the main event featuring Tommy Dreamer with then-babyface, Colin Delaney in his corner against Mark Henry. Atlas attacked Delaney, which in turn distracted Dreamer, allowing Henry to gain the victory. Atlas then announced Henry the winner of the bout, although the official result was a double countout. This is also the first time since his brief stint in WCW in 1992 that Atlas has worked as a heel. Atlas also accompanied Henry to the ring at the The Great American Bash. Atlas helped Mark Henry retain his title at SummerSlam, attacking Matt Hardy once a win by Hardy appeared to be imminent. Henry was also able to retain his ECW Championship on the August 19, 2008 episode of ECW due to an outside interference from Atlas. At Unforgiven, Atlas was there to support Henry in retaining his Championship in the ECW Championship Scramble, although Henry lost the title to Hardy after Hardy got the last fall. For the first time in years Atlas wrestled in a WWE ring along with Mark Henry in a tag team match on the December 9th,2008 episode of ECW against Finlay and Hornswoggle, which he and Henry won.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

1This promotion is not to be confused with the NWA Tri-State promotion founded by Leroy McGuirk in the 1950s. This promotion would eventually be taken over by Bill Watts in 1979 and renamed Mid-South Wrestling Association. The promotion would eventually be renamed Universal Wrestling Federation.

Personal life

White has been married two times. His first wife was Lisa, who he married in 1985. He married his second wife, Monica, in 1990.[8]

Outside of wrestling, White is a freelance sketch artist.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Tony Atlas' bio". TonyAtlas.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Tony Atlas' bio". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  3. ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.36)
  4. ^ Mike Aldren (2000). "Interview with Dawn Marie". Smash Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-01-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Most Improved Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
  6. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1991". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
  7. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
  8. ^ "Tony Atlas - Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-10-09.

References

  • Mick Foley (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. p. 511. ISBN 0061031011.
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