Athletes - Fred Ottman

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	Athletes - Fred Ottman

Fred Ottman is a professional wrestler.

Profile

Height & Weight: 6 ft 3 in 384 lb.
Previous Gimmicks: Bubba the Belt Collector, US Steel, Tugboat, Typhoon, The Shockmaster

WWF career

Ottman wrestled with the WWF as Tugboat, where his character developed a close friendship with Hulk Hogan, and assisted Hogan in his feud with Earthquake. He would later become Typhoon, after he attacked the Bushwackers following a six-man tag team match. As Typhoon, he and Earthquake entered the tag team ranks as The Natural Disasters. They would hold the WWF Tag Team Title in 1992.

The Shockmaster incident

The Shockmaster incident was one of the most infamous moments in pro wrestling. In the early 90s, the Atlanta-based WCW had signed Ottman from the WWF, and he was to make his debut in a match alongside three very popular WCW stars: Sting, Dustin Rhodes, and the late 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 Booker T and Stevie Ray).

When Sting and Smith were about to unveil their mystery partner, they did so during a live interview in front of the WCW audience together with Sid and Harlem Heat. Sting would then make his famous quote, "All I have to say is... our partner is going to shock the world because he is 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 paper wall. The Shockmaster was supposed to make his grand entrance by crashing through that wall in his new attire, consisting of a purple helmet very much like the ones worn by the Stormtroopers in Star Wars, a pair of jeans and a long black vest.

Unfortunately for Ottman, he tripped and fell through the paper wall, with the camera getting a close up of this accident. When he hit the floor, his helmet rolled off long enough for audiences to see who it was before he managed to put it back on. Even the announcers were speechless. But, as is the rule, the show must go on. The Shockmaster resumed his entrance as if nothing had happened, and he continued walking up to Sid and Harlem Heat.

The interview ended with Shockmaster verbally threatening the four heels with, "They call me The Shockmaster. You've ruled the world long enough, Sid Vicious. Come on, you want a piece of me?" The heels were clearly trying to stop themselves from laughing while he delivered his threat. The Shockmaster's voice was in reality, a prerecorded tape that was provided by Ole Anderson. Ironically, Anderson used the same voice effects as he did for another infamous WCW storyline, the Black Scorpion.

Later career

In 2000, he appeared in the short-lived WXO promotion. Ottman returned to the WWF in 2001 (as Tugboat) for the gimmick battle royal at WrestleMania X-Seven.

Championships and accomplishments

1-Time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Earthquake)
1-Time FCW PWF Heavyweight Champion
2-Time Mid-Southern Tag Team Champion (with Jerry Lawler
and Goliath)
1-Time CPW Tag Team Champion (with Brett Sawyer)
1-Time IAW Tag Team Champion (with Ax
)
1-Time SWS Tag Team Champion (with Earthquake)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 490 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Fred Ottman ]

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