Craig Pittman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Craig Pittman
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| Born | March 7, 1959 |
| Years active | 1993–1998, 2011 (professional wrestling) 1995, 2011–2012 (MMA) |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Sgt. Craig Pittman |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| Trained by | WCW Power Plant The Assassin Terry Taylor |
| Debut | 1993 |
| Retired | 1998 |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 4 |
| Wins | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ |
United States Marine Corps |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
Craig Pittman was born on March 7, 1959. He is a former United States Marine and a professional wrestler. He served in the Marine Corps until the early 1990s. After that, he became a professional wrestler. He was known as Sgt. Craig "Pitbull" Pittman in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). After leaving WCW in 1997, he continued to wrestle in smaller shows until 2004.
Before becoming a professional, Pittman was a very good amateur wrestler. Besides wrestling, he also competed in four mixed martial arts (MMA) fights.
Contents
Early Life and Wrestling Beginnings
Craig Pittman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, when he was very young. Later, his family moved to Freeport, New York. He went to Freeport High School. There, his coach, Terry Haise, encouraged him to join the wrestling team.
In his last year of high school, Pittman won the state wrestling championship. He was offered a scholarship to the University of Kentucky for wrestling. However, the wrestling program at the university closed after his first year. Without the scholarship, he had to return home. He then attended Nassau Community College and continued to wrestle. He reached the national championships there but was disqualified in his first match.
Serving in the Marines
After college, Pittman joined the United States Marine Corps. He became a sergeant. He continued to wrestle while in the Marines and won many championships. He won the heavyweight division at the USA Senior Greco-Roman Championships in both 1989 and 1991. He also placed seventh in the heavyweight division at the 1989 FILA Greco-Roman World Championships.
Professional Wrestling Career
Time in World Championship Wrestling (1993–1997)
Starting Strong and First Rivalries (1993–1995)
After leaving the military, Craig Pittman trained to be a professional wrestler. He learned at the WCW Power Plant in 1993. His trainers were Terry Taylor and The Assassin. Pittman started wrestling professionally as Sgt. Craig Pittman. He played a villainous character. His first match was on February 5, 1994, at a live event. He won by pinning Brian Anderson.
His first match shown on TV was on November 5, 1994, where he beat Ken Kendall. In early 1995, his character was changed. Videos promoting his new look started airing on TV. He made his TV re-debut on February 26, 1995, defeating Todd Morton. Pittman's first big pay-per-view match was at The Great American Bash. He faced "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Pittman lost by disqualification because he wouldn't let go of a hold. This was his first loss, but he was not pinned or made to give up.
Pittman started a rivalry with Cobra in the summer of 1995. The story was that Pittman had been Cobra's boss in the military. He supposedly left Cobra behind during a mission. Cobra then wanted revenge in WCW. They had a match at Fall Brawl. Pittman won by making Cobra give up. However, Pittman lost a rematch to Cobra on September 23, 1995. This ended his undefeated streak in WCW.
In November 1995, Pittman was part of WCW's first World War 3 event. This was a huge battle royal with sixty wrestlers. He was thrown out by Hugh Morrus. After this, Pittman looked for a manager to help his career. He eventually teamed up with Teddy Long. This made Pittman a good guy in the wrestling story.
Later Years in WCW (1996–1997)
In 1996, Pittman mostly wrestled in the middle of the show. He often lost to the top wrestlers. He got a chance to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Ric Flair. This match was on March 23, 1996, but Flair kept his title. Pittman also appeared in two more pay-per-view events in 1996. At Slamboree 1996, he teamed with Scott Steiner. They lost to Rick Steiner and The Booty Man.
In late 1996, Pittman quietly became a villain again and stopped working with Teddy Long. He also took part in the World War 3 battle royal in 1996. That match was won by The Giant. Pittman continued to wrestle in WCW until May 1997. He had matches for the WWE United States Championship and the WCW World Television Championship. His last match in WCW was on May 24, 1997, against Lord Steven Regal.
Wrestling After WCW (1997–2004)
Pittman left WCW in mid-1997. He then wrestled for other wrestling groups, like the National Wrestling Alliance. He wrestled for Florida Underground Wrestling. He came out of retirement to defeat "The Cuban Assassin" Fidel Sierra.
On July 10, 1998, Sgt. Craig Pittman had a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He lost to the champion, Dan "The Beast" Severn. After this, he retired from wrestling for a while. In June 2011, Pittman returned to wrestle in two MMA-style fights. He won both matches against Brent Dali for Florida Underground Wrestling.
Mixed Martial Arts Record
Craig Pittman also competed in four mixed martial arts (MMA) fights. He fought in a competition called Vale Tudo Japan 1995. This event took place in Japan on April 20, 1995. He won his first fight against Wayne Emons. He won by using a submission hold called an arm triangle choke.
He lost his second fight to Yuki Nakai. Nakai was a much lighter fighter. Pittman lost by an armbar submission. The Vale Tudo Japan 1995 event was shown in a movie called Choke. This movie followed some of the fighters as they got ready for the event.
On October 1, 2011, Pittman fought at Real Fighting Championships 25 in Tampa, Florida. He lost to Rodney Bell by a decision from the judges. On October 13, 2012, he fought at Operation Octagon 21 in Sterling, Virginia. He beat Tony Horn by a unanimous decision from the judges. His MMA record is 2 wins and 2 losses.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
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| Win | 2–2 |  Tony Horn |
Decision (unanimous) | Operation Octagon 21 | October 13, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Sterling, Virginia, United States | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Rodney Bell |
Decision (unanimous) | Real Fighting Championships 25 | October 1, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 |  Yuki Nakai |
Submission (armbar) | Vale Tudo Japan 1995 | April 20, 1995 | 2 | 7:32 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1–0 | Wayne Emons |
Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Vale Tudo Japan 1995 | April 20, 1995 | 1 | 2:12 | Tokyo, Japan |
Achievements
- Amateur Wrestling
- USA Senior Greco-Roman Champion (2 times; 1989 and 1991)
