Hercules (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hercules |
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Hercules in the WWF, circa 1980s
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| Birth name | Raymond Constantine Fernandez Jr. |
| Born | May 7, 1956 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 2004 (aged 47) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart disease |
| Spouse(s) |
Debbie Fernandez
(m. 1974) |
| Children | 7 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Hercules Hercules Hernandez Masked Assassin #2 The Mighty Hercules Mr. Wrestling III Super Invader |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Billed from | Bangkok, Thailand (as Super Invader) Tampa, Florida (as Hercules) |
| Trained by | Hiro Matsuda |
| Debut | 1979 |
| Retired | 1999 |
Raymond Constantine Fernandez Jr. (May 7, 1956 – March 6, 2004) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known by his ring name Hercules Hernandez or simply Hercules. Fernandez started his wrestling journey in 1979. He wrestled mostly in Florida and Texas. His biggest success came when he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1985. There, he was part of a famous group called The Heenan Family.
Later, Hercules left the Heenan Family. He had big rivalries with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Ted DiBiase. In 1990, he teamed up with Paul Roma to form Power and Glory. They had exciting matches against The Rockers. Besides wrestling, Fernandez was also a bodybuilder. He appeared in many muscle magazines. He also wrestled in other major companies like World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Contents
- Early Life and Training
- Professional Wrestling Journey
- Personal Life
- Death
- Championships and Achievements
- See Also
Early Life and Training
Fernandez was born in New York City on May 7, 1956. When he was six, his mother passed away from cancer. His family then moved to Tampa, Florida. He went to A. P. Leto High School. There, he was a talented amateur wrestler. After graduating in 1974, he joined the United States Air Force for three years.
His wrestling trainer was Hiro Matsuda. Matsuda was known for being a very tough trainer. Fernandez started his professional wrestling career in 1979.
Professional Wrestling Journey
Starting Out (1979–1983)
Hercules Hernandez wrestled in Florida and Texas. In 1982, he joined NWA Central States. He teamed with Dewey Robertson. They won the Central States Tag Team Championship twice. He also held the Central States Television title for over six months. He had big rivalries with Manny Fernandez and Harley Race. His matches with Harley Race were very important. Race was a former NWA World Champion. This helped Hercules get noticed in the wrestling world.
Jim Crockett Promotions (1983–1984)
In Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), Fernandez became "Masked Assassin 2". He teamed with Jody Hamilton, who was the original Masked Assassin. They wrestled at the first-ever Starrcade event. They beat Rufus R. Jones and Bugsy McGraw. His time as a Masked Assassin ended when Jimmy Valiant unmasked him.
Mid-South Wrestling (1984–1985)
After being unmasked, Fernandez moved to Mid-South Wrestling. He wore a mask again as "Mr. Wrestling III". He later took off the mask and wrestled as "Hercules Hernandez" again. He had a rivalry with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Hercules then joined Skandor Akbar's group, Devastation Inc. He wrestled against popular stars like Junkyard Dog and Terry Taylor.
Championship Wrestling from Florida (1985)
In Florida, Hercules quickly won two championships. He became the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion. Then, he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship. This made him a double champion. He later left Florida and wrestled in Puerto Rico. After that, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation.
World Wrestling Federation (1985–1992)
Early Days (1985–1986)
Fernandez joined the WWF in 1985. His first manager was "Classy" Freddie Blassie. He appeared at WrestleMania 2. He lost to Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Blassie soon retired. Hercules then struggled to find his place in the WWF.
The Heenan Family (1986–1988)
In late 1986, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan became Hercules' manager. Hercules stopped using "Hernandez" in his name. He started carrying a long steel chain to the ring. He also looked more muscular. On November 29, 1986, Hercules challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship. It was the biggest match of his career. He put Hogan in his "Hercules backbreaker" move, but he still lost.
Hercules also had a long rivalry with Billy Jack Haynes. This rivalry had been going on in other wrestling companies too. At WrestleMania III, they had a big match. Both wrestlers were counted out of the ring. After the match, Hercules hit Haynes with his steel chain. This made Haynes bleed. The rivalry ended in a chain match, which Hercules won.
In 1988, Hercules had a challenge with the Ultimate Warrior. Hercules was swinging his chain. Warrior grabbed it, and they had a tug of war. The chain snapped in the middle! This led to a match at WrestleMania IV. Warrior pinned Hercules to win the match.
Rivalry with Ted DiBiase (1988–1990)
In late 1988, Bobby Heenan "sold" Hercules' contract to Ted DiBiase. DiBiase claimed he had bought Hercules as his "slave". Hercules was very angry. He said that "no man" owned him. He became a fan favorite and started a rivalry with DiBiase. Hercules defeated DiBiase's bodyguard, Virgil, to win his "freedom". Hercules and DiBiase later faced each other at Survivor Series 1988.
After his rivalry with DiBiase, Hercules faced Haku. He won against Haku at WrestleMania V. However, his career slowed down after this. He often lost to help other wrestlers become more popular. For example, he lost to Earthquake at WrestleMania VI.
Power and Glory (1990–1991)
In the summer of 1990, Hercules teamed up with Paul Roma. They formed a tag team called Power and Glory. Their manager was Slick. They had a big rivalry with The Rockers. Power and Glory defeated The Rockers at SummerSlam. They also challenged WWF World Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation. At WrestleMania VII, they lost quickly to The Legion of Doom.
Final WWF Matches (1991–1992)
After SummerSlam 1991, Paul Roma left the WWF. Hercules spent his remaining time in the WWF losing matches. He lost to wrestlers like the Bushwackers and Bret Hart. He was in the 1991 Royal Rumble for almost forty minutes. In the 1992 Royal Rumble, he lasted less than a minute. His last televised WWF match was against Sid Justice.
World Championship Wrestling (1992)
After seven years in the WWF, Fernandez joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He wore a mask again and became "Super Invader". His manager was his old rival, Harley Race. As Super Invader, he won matches against Todd Champion and Marcus Bagwell. He also teamed with Rick Rude, Jake Roberts, and Big Van Vader at Clash of the Champions XX. His team won the match. Fernandez left WCW by the end of 1992.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1993–1994)
In March 1993, Fernandez went to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He wrestled as "Hercules Hernandez" again. He teamed up with Scott Norton to form a powerful team called Jurassic Powers. They won the IWGP Tag Team Championship in August 1993. They held the title for about four months. They defended their title against teams like The Japanese Jollyjacks and Masa Saito and Manabu Nakanishi. The Jurassic Powers also had matches with the Steiner Brothers.
Later Career (1993–1999)
In 1993, Hercules wrestled for International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW). In 1994, he wrestled in the American Wrestling Federation (AWF). He retired from wrestling in 1999. He had wrestled for many different companies around the world.
Personal Life
Fernandez met his high school sweetheart, Debbie, in 1974. They got married in 1976. They had seven children: Nichole, Jeremy, Jaclyn, Amanda, Taylor, Katelyn, and Keith.
Death
Raymond Fernandez passed away in his sleep on March 6, 2004. He was at his home in Florida. His wife said the cause of death was heart disease. He was buried with military honors at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.
Championships and Achievements
- Américas Wrestling Federation
- AWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dewey Robertson
- NWA Central States Television Championship (1 time)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
- Independent Association of Wrestling
- IAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Paul Roma
- International Wrestling Federation
- IWF Can-Am Championship (1 time)
- Mid-South Wrestling Association
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ted DiBiase
- New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2018
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Scott Norton
- North American Wrestling Alliance
- NAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 220 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- World Wrestling Federation
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Scholarship Award (1987) with Haku, Tama, André the Giant, King Kong Bundy, and Harley Race
- Battle Royal (1987)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
See Also
- The Heenan Family
- The Jurassic Powers
- Power and Glory
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
