Athletes - Mark Hildreth

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	Athletes - Mark Hildreth

Mark Hildreth was a professional wrestler best known as Van Hammer in World Championship Wrestling.

Career

Mark Hildreth started wrestling in 1991 as "Heavy Metal" Van Hammer in World Championship Wrestling. He had a rock guitarist gimmick and he feuded with J.T. Southern. He soon dropped the Heavy Metal part of the gimmick and wrestled as Van Hammer.

He won the first WCW Jesse "The Body" Ventura Strongest Arm Tournament in 1992 but did not have much success other than that. He had a small feud with Vinnie Vegas due to the arm-wrestling tournament but the angle did not last long.

In 1994, he feuded very briefly with Diamond Dallas Page when DDP was doing his arm-wrestling gimmick. He left WCW shortly after that and wrestled in Maryland Championship Wrestling with his wife Alexis as his valet.

He returned to WCW in the late 1990's as Hammer and joined The Flock which was headed by Raven. Hammer won a "Loser Leaves The Flock" match against Perry Saturn in May of 1998. Despite winning the match, Hammer was attacked by The Flock after the match and was thrown out of the group. As a result of the attack, Hammer assisted Juventud Guerrera during his feud with Ron Reese. He later embraced peace as a hippie face, and used a Cobra Clutch Slam, which he called The Flashback, as his finisher. This gimmick, nor the anti-peace heel that he soon became, did much for his career.

Hildreth appeared in the 2000 WCW movie, Ready To Rumble.

in 2000, he joined the Misfits In Action as Major Stash, a reference to his drug problems. His original name was to be Private Stash, which is much more appropriate, but Hammer was reportedly offended at being labeled such a low rank, and fought to have it changed. It was because of these problems that he was let go in July of 2000.

Hammer returned to the independent circuit before retiring in 2002 to help train wrestlers in the Maryland area. He has also been employed at the Rose's Department Store near his home.

Wrestling facts

Finishing and signature moves

Cobra clutch slam
Hammer Rocks (slingshot suplex)
Flashback (double leg slam)

Managers

Alexis
Major Gunns

Championships and accomplishments

Winner of 1992 WCW Jesse "The Body" Ventura Strongest Arm Tournament
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him # 402 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Mark Hildreth ]

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