Chris Adams (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Adams
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Adams, c. 1985
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| Born |
Christopher Adams
10 February 1955 Rugby, Warwickshire, England
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| Died | 7 October 2001 (aged 46) Waxahachie, Texas, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Killed |
| Resting place | Oak Grove Memorial Gardens (Irving, Texas) |
| Occupation | Professional wrestler, promoter, trainer, judoka |
| Spouse(s) |
Toni Adams
(m. 1984; div. 1994)Karen Burge
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Neil Adams (brother) |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Chris Adams The Masked Avenger |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Billed from | Stratford-upon-Avon, England |
| Trained by | Tony St. Clair Shirley Crabtree |
| Debut | 1978 |
| Retired | 2000 |
Chris Adams (born February 10, 1955 – died October 7, 2001) was a famous English professional wrestler. People knew him best as "Gentleman" Chris Adams. He was also a coach, a promoter, and a skilled judo athlete.
He won the British National Judo Championship three times before he was 21. Chris became very famous in a wrestling group called World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). There, he even became the World Heavyweight Champion. He also wrestled for other big groups like the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He held 26 wrestling titles in his 23-year career.
Chris also trained famous wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin. He helped make the "superkick" move very popular, which many wrestlers use today. A wrestling expert, Dave Meltzer, said Chris was "one of the twenty best performers" in the U.S. during his best years.
Contents
Early Life and Judo Skills
Chris Adams was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. He was the oldest child of Cyril and Jean Adams. When he was nine, Chris started learning judo. He trained in judo for 14 years.
Chris and his younger brother, Neil, both won many judo championships. Neil even won silver medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics and 1984 Summer Olympics. Chris was part of the British judo team for the 1976 Summer Olympics, but he did not compete. He was very good at many martial arts and had a black belt in judo. Outside of sports, he studied architecture for four years. He also played football, rugby, cricket, and amateur wrestling.
Chris Adams' Wrestling Journey
Starting His Wrestling Career (1978–1982)
Chris Adams began his professional wrestling career in June 1978. He used his judo skills since he had no official wrestling training. He wrestled for Joint Promotions in the United Kingdom. He often appeared on ITV's World of Sport.
Chris won some titles in England. He took the British Light Heavyweight Championship from Mark Rocco. He also won the British Commonwealth Tag Team Championship with Marty Jones. Chris wrestled against other famous British wrestlers. These included Adrian Street, Big Daddy, Dave "Fit" Finlay, Dynamite Kid, and Davey Boy Smith.
In 1981, Chris moved to Los Angeles, USA. He wrestled at the Olympic Auditorium. He first wrestled barefoot. Later, he started wearing wrestling boots, arm pads, and kneepads. He used these for the rest of his career. Chris became known for many exciting moves. He could do somersaults out of arm-bars and backflips. He would dive through the ropes to hit opponents outside the ring. He also had a strong kick called a "judo kick," which is now known as the "superkick."
Chris won the NWA Americas title in 1982. He also won the NWA Americas tag team title with Tom Prichard and Ringo Rigby. He wrestled in California, the Pacific Northwest, Japan, Europe, Mexico, and Canada.
Becoming a Star in Texas (1983–1987)
Joining World Class Championship Wrestling
In 1983, Fritz Von Erich asked Chris to wrestle for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Chris started wrestling for WCCW in Dallas on April 15, 1983. He won his first two matches that night. The Von Erich family called Chris an "honorary Von Erich." They even said he was Kevin Von Erich's "pen pal."
Chris won his first eleven matches in WCCW. Then, he lost to Kamala on June 20. On August 19, he teamed up with Kerry Von Erich for the first time. Chris often teamed with the Von Erichs in big tag team matches. They wrestled against the Fabulous Freebirds. Chris also had a big fight with Jimmy Garvin. Their managers, Sunshine and Precious, joined in. Sunshine sided with Chris.
Chris used a mask and became "the Masked Avenger" on October 21. This helped him get a chance at the NWA American Heavyweight Championship. He won this title on Thanksgiving. This was the first of five times Chris would hold this championship.
Rivalries and New Partners
In August 1984, Chris hired Gary Hart as his manager. But then, Chris turned against him. Chris was told that if he beat Kevin Von Erich, he could fire Hart. Chris lost that match and then hit Kevin with a wooden chair. Chris said it was an accident. A month later, Kevin hit Chris with a chair, and a piece of wood got stuck near Chris's eye. This stopped their story for a while.
Chris later teamed with Jake Roberts and Gino Hernandez. They won a six-man tag team match against the Von Erichs. Fans chanted "Chris is a traitor" and held signs saying "Benedict Adams."
The Dynamic Duo and Hair Matches
In early 1985, Gary Hart fired Chris. Chris then teamed up with Gino Hernandez. They formed the "Dynamic Duo." Chris wrestled against NWA World Champion Ric Flair many times. He almost won the title twice. Chris also had a "superkick" rivalry with the Great Kabuki.
Chris and Gino started a new trick: shaving their opponents' hair after a match. This led to a big "hair vs. hair" match in October 1985. The Dynamic Duo faced Kevin and Kerry Von Erich. The Von Erichs won, and Chris and Gino lost their hair. They had to wear masks for a while. After this, Chris and Gino started fighting each other. Chris also began wrestling for Gary Hart's Texas All-Star Wrestling. He slowly became a fan favorite again.
On Christmas night 1985, Chris and Gino reunited to face Kevin and Kerry Von Erich. Gino pretended to have a knee injury and would not help Chris. Chris took a bad beating. Chris then threw Kevin over the rope to end the match. He slapped Gino for not helping him and left the ring. On January 27, 1986, Chris and Gino had a match where the loser would lose their hair again. Gino put a dark liquid in Chris's eyes, and Chris lost. Chris then went to England, Japan, and Israel. He came back to Texas to continue his fight with Gino. Sadly, Gino Hernandez died on February 4, 1986.
In March 1986, Chris wrestled in Japan. He still acted like he was blinded from the match with Gino. Chris returned to Texas in April. He had many matches and won the World Class heavyweight title from Rick Rude on July 4. Chris had to give up the WCCW title in September because of legal issues. He then joined the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). Chris came back to World Class in October 1987.
Wrestling in Other Promotions (1987–1997)
In late 1986, Chris joined the Universal Wrestling Federation. He and Terry Taylor became tag team champions in February 1987. Two months later, Chris and Terry started a big fight. Chris also had a long-running rivalry with his former partner, King Parsons.
Chris opened his own wrestling school in Dallas in late 1988. He also sold wrestling rings. In 1989, Steve Austin was one of Chris's students. Steve wrestled his first match within five months. Chris and Steve later wrestled against each other. Chris also wrestled in other groups like the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF). He won the GWF Heavyweight Championship twice in 1994. In 1993, Chris also promoted a wrestling tour in Nigeria. He wrestled in Mexico before joining the GWF.
In 1993, Chris started a fight with Rod Price. Chris accidentally pulled off Price's hair weave, causing Price to need many stitches. Chris also continued his famous rivalry with Iceman King Parsons. Chris's wife, Toni, was Parsons' manager. Chris also formed a tag team with Kerry Von Erich until Kerry's death in 1993. Chris also wrestled in Memphis, Tennessee, for a few months. After the Global Wrestling Federation, Chris joined NWA Dallas. He wrestled against many famous names. He also promoted his own wrestling shows in Dallas.
World Championship Wrestling (1997–1999)
In 1997, Chris Adams started wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was supposed to join a group called "The Blue Bloods" with other English wrestlers. But this did not last long. He had a rivalry with Glacier over their superkicks.
On November 23, 1997, Chris competed in a big battle royal. He lost this match. In January 1998, Chris wrestled Randy Savage in the first match of the first WCW Thunder show. Chris pinned Savage, but the decision was changed. Chris was mostly used to help other wrestlers look strong. In late 1999, Chris was not happy with his role in WCW. He left WCW and went back to Texas to promote and wrestle part-time.
Chris Adams' Family Life
Chris Adams had a relationship with Jeanie Clarke, an English model. She managed his career in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They had a daughter named Jade. Chris later married Toni Collins on December 20, 1984. They had a son named Christopher Jr. They divorced in 1994. Toni passed away in 2010.
Chris also had another daughter, Julia, born in 1994, with Brandi Freeman. Chris and Brandi separated in 1999. Brandi passed away in 2003, and Julia became an orphan. Six weeks before his own death, Chris married Karen J. Burge on August 25, 2001.
Chris Adams' Passing
In April 2000, Chris Adams and his girlfriend, Linda Kaphengst, were found unconscious. Chris recovered, but Linda passed away hours later. Chris was later charged in connection with Linda's death. While waiting for his trial, Chris was killed at his home in Waxahachie, Texas, on October 7, 2001. He was 46 years old.
Chris Adams' Legacy
A documentary about Chris Adams, called The Gentleman's Choice, was released in 2008. It included interviews with his friends and family. These included his brother Neil, Kevin Von Erich, and his widow Karen.
In April 2024, a TV show called Dark Side of the Ring aired an episode about Chris's life. The day after, wrestling expert Dave Meltzer said Chris was "one of the twenty best performers" in the U.S. during his best years.
Championships and Awards
- Global Wrestling Federation
- GWF North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- National Class Wrestling
- NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tom Prichard (1) and Ringo Rigby
- NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1986)
- Ranked #160 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2003
- Ranked #65 of the top 100 tag teams with Gino Hernandez in 2003
- Southern Championship Wrestling
- SCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Universal Wrestling Association
- WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Universal Wrestling Federation
- UWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Terry Taylor
- World Class Championship Wrestling / World Class Wrestling Association
- NWA American Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Gino Hernandez
- NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (2 times) – with Gino Hernandez and Jake Roberts (1), and Steve Simpson and Kevin Von Erich (1)
- WCCW Television Championship (3 times)
- WCWA Television Championship (1 time)
- WCWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Images for kids
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Adams, c. 1985
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Adams (left) and manager Sunshine, c. 1984
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Adams (right) winning a test of strength against Kevin Von Erich (left), circa 1986
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Adams with an eyepatch, circa 1986
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Adams with his tag team partner Gino Hernandez c. 1985. Known collectively as the "Dynamic Duo", the pair are seen here holding the WCWA World Tag Team Championship.
