Brian Adams (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brian Adams |
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Adams in 2002
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| Birth name | Brian Keith Adams |
| Born | April 14, 1964 Kona, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 2007 (aged 43) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The American Ninja Brian Adams Crush The Demon Kona Crush The Midnight Soldier |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) |
| Billed weight | 315 lb (143 kg) |
| Billed from | Kona, Hawaii |
| Trained by | Antonio Inoki Tatsumi Fujinami |
| Debut | 1986 |
| Retired | January 2003 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Air Force |
Brian Keith Adams (born April 14, 1964 – died August 13, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Crush. He also wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) using his real name, Brian Adams.
Brian was trained in Japan by the famous wrestler Antonio Inoki. He won many championships during his career. These included being a two-time WCW World Tag Team Champion. He was also a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion. Plus, he was a one-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion. In 2002, he tried boxing for a short time. He had to stop due to injuries to his back and shoulder.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Brian Adams was born in Kona, Hawaii. He grew up in Kealakekua, Hawaii and went to Konawaena High School. After high school, Brian joined the US Air Force. While in the Air Force, he started boxing. He was stationed in Japan, where he first learned about wrestling. Brian was trained in wrestling by the legendary Japanese wrestler and fighter, Antonio Inoki.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting in Japan and the US (1986–1989)
Brian Adams started his wrestling career in 1986 with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He had to leave Japan in 1987 when his work permit ran out.
In November 1987, Adams joined Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW). There, he was called "the American Ninja". He had a big rivalry with another wrestler named Super Ninja. Brian won a match where the loser had to leave town. He then went back to New Japan for a short time in 1988. He wrestled there as a masked character called The Midnight Soldier.
After that, he wrestled for other groups like the Continental Wrestling Association. In 1989, he also wrestled a match for World Championship Wrestling. He teamed with Jerry Price but lost to Lex Luger and Sting. He also wrestled in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Return to PNW and WWF Debut (1989–1991)
In March 1989, Brian Adams returned to PNW. He teamed up with Lord Jonathan Boyd and Carl Styles. Later, he used his masked Midnight Soldier character again. In September 1989, he took off his mask and became a "bad guy" (a heel). He joined forces with The Grappler to form "The Wrecking Crew". They won the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship. In 1990, he also won the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship.
In June 1990, Brian Adams joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was given the name "Crush". He became the third member of the popular tag team, Demolition. This team already held the Tag Team Championship. With Crush joining, any two members of Demolition could defend the titles. This rule helped Crush become a Tag Team Champion.
Crush and Smash defended the titles successfully. At the SummerSlam event in 1990, Demolition lost their titles to The Hart Foundation. After this, Demolition started a rivalry with The Legion of Doom. Crush continued to wrestle with Demolition until after WrestleMania VII in 1991.
Back to PNW and WWF as Kona Crush (1991–1993)
After leaving WWF, Brian Adams went back to PNW. He continued to use the Crush name. He became a "good guy" (a fan favorite) again. He won both the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship and the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship.
In 1992, Crush returned to the WWF. He kept the Crush name but had a new look. He became an easygoing surfing character from Hawaii. He wore bright neon clothes and used a new finishing move called the Cranium Crunch. Crush made his TV debut with this new character in May 1992. He won against Repo Man at SummerSlam.
Crush then started a rivalry with Doink the Clown. This led to a match at WrestleMania IX, where Crush lost because a second Doink appeared and attacked him. At the first King of the Ring pay-per-view, Crush challenged Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship but lost.
In July, Crush tried to bodyslam the huge WWF Champion Yokozuna. This happened on a US Navy aircraft carrier. Crush was the only one who could lift Yokozuna, but his back gave out. This storyline was used to explain why Crush was off TV to recover from a back injury.
Changing Sides in WWF (1993–1997)
Crush returned to WWF in October 1993. He attacked his friend Randy Savage. Crush then became a "bad guy" and joined Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. He changed his look to a darker, more serious character. At Survivor Series, Crush was part of a team called Foreign Fanatics. He lost a match against Savage at WrestleMania X.
Crush sometimes worked as a hired helper for Mr. Fuji. He teamed up with Yokozuna. They challenged for the Tag Team Championship at King of the Ring but lost. Crush left the WWF later that year.
In 1995, Crush returned to the Royal Rumble match. He was one of the last four wrestlers left in the ring. After this, he had to leave wrestling for a while due to legal issues.
Crush returned to the WWF in July 1996 with a new biker look. His time away from wrestling was even mentioned in the storylines. He joined the Nation of Domination (NOD) group, led by Faarooq. Crush helped Faarooq in his rivalries. In early 1997, Crush and other members were kicked out of the Nation by Faarooq. This made Crush a "good guy" again.
Crush then formed his own biker group called Disciples of Apocalypse (DOA). The DOA started a "gang war" against Faarooq's Nation of Domination and Savio Vega's Los Boricuas. They had many matches against each other throughout 1997. Crush left the WWF in late 1997.
World Championship Wrestling (1998–2001)
New World Order and The Demon (1998–1999)
Brian Adams signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1998. He debuted as a "bad guy" by attacking Bret Hart. He joined the famous New World Order (nWo) group. The nWo split into two parts, and Adams joined Hollywood Hogan's nWo Hollywood. He had a match against Goldberg for the World Heavyweight Championship but did not win.
Adams often teamed with wrestlers like Scott Norton and Stevie Ray. He was usually used by the nWo as a strong helper because of his large size. In 1999, Adams was part of the nWo B-Team. He teamed with Horace Hogan in a tournament for the World Tag Team Championship.
Later, Brian Adams was chosen to play a character called "The Demon", based on the band KISS. He appeared as The Demon once on TV with KISS playing live. The character was later given to another wrestler. Adams went back to wrestling as Brian Adams.
KroniK (2000–2001)
In 2000, Adams got a big opportunity in WCW. He formed a tag team with Bryan Clark called KroniK. They debuted as hired helpers for the New Blood group. KroniK helped other wrestlers win matches.
However, KroniK soon switched sides and joined The Millionaire's Club. They defeated Shane Douglas and The Wall to win the World Tag Team Championship for the first time. They lost the titles but won them back at Bash at the Beach. KroniK had rivalries with other teams and groups. They lost their titles to Vampiro and The Great Muta.
KroniK then started working as "hired muscles," helping different wrestlers for money. They helped The Boogie Knights and later their former enemies, the Natural Born Thrillers. At Sin, KroniK turned into "good guys" again. They helped Ernest Miller become the WCW Commissioner. KroniK stayed with WCW until the company was bought by WWF in March 2001.
Final Years in Wrestling (2001–2003)
After WWF bought WCW, KroniK appeared in WWF as part of the Alliance storyline. They had a short rivalry with The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane). Adams and Clark lost to them at the 2001 Unforgiven event. Brian Adams was later released from his WWF contract in November 2001.
Adams and Clark then wrestled for World Wrestling All-Stars and in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). On July 17, 2002, they won the World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles until October 2002 when Adams left to try a boxing career.
After recovering from a shoulder injury, Adams returned to wrestling one last time in January 2003. He teamed with Bryan Clark to face Bill Goldberg and Keiji Mutoh. He suffered a spinal injury in this match, which forced him to retire from wrestling.
Boxing Career
Brian Adams had been a successful amateur boxer in the United States Air Force. He planned to have his first professional boxing match in November 2002. However, he hurt his shoulder during training and had to cancel the fight.
Personal Life
In 1996, Brian Adams had a small role in the Bollywood movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. He played "Crush" in the film.
After he retired from wrestling due to his spinal injury, Brian Adams became a bodyguard for his friend, the wrestler and rapper Randy Savage. He also wanted to open a health club in Tampa, Florida. Brian Adams and his wife had two children. He was very good friends with Mark Calaway.
Death
Brian Adams passed away on August 13, 2007, at his home in Tampa, Florida. He was 43 years old.
Championships and Accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bryan Clark
- Oregon Wrestling Federation
- OWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mike Miller
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with The Grappler (1) and Steve Doll (1)
- Salem City Tournament (1988)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 35 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bryan Clark
- World Wrestling Federation/WWF
- WWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Smash and Ax
Images for kids
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A robot for kids
See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
