Randy Thornton facts for kids
| No. 94, 58 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 23, 1964 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | West Jefferson (New Orleans, Louisiana) |
| College: | Houston |
| Undrafted: | 1988 |
| Career history | |
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Randall Thornton (born December 23, 1964) is an American who used to play professional football. He also became a professional wrestler. Many people know him by his wrestling name, Swoll, from his time in World Championship Wrestling.
Contents
Football Career
College Football
Randy Thornton went to the University of Houston. There, he played football for the Houston Cougars team. He played as a defensive back and a free safety from 1984 to 1987.
Professional Teams
From 1988 to 1990, Thornton was part of the Denver Broncos team. He played as a linebacker. In 1990, he had a knee injury. He also had interest from the New York Giants that same year. He left the Broncos without playing in a game for them.
In 1992, he played for the Sacramento Surge. This team was part of the World League of American Football.
The next year, in the 1993 CFL season, he played for the Sacramento Gold Miners. He played as a defensive end for them.
Professional Wrestling Career
| Swoll | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Randall Thornton |
| Born | December 23, 1964 |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Swoll |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Billed weight | 325 lb (147 kg; 23.2 st) |
| Billed from | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans |
| Debut | May 3, 1991 |
| Retired | August 31, 1999 |
Starting Out in Wrestling
Randy Thornton learned how to wrestle from a trainer named Brad Rheingans.
He had his first wrestling match on May 3, 1991. This was in the American Wrestling Association. He lost that match to Frank Andersson. Later that month, he traveled to Japan to wrestle for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He had a special type of match called a "Different Style Fight" against Shinya Hashimoto. He lost this match in the second round. In October 1991, he lost another "Different Style Fight" to Masashi Aoyagi.
Time in World Championship Wrestling (1999)
In 1999, Thornton joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He used the wrestling name Swoll. He became a member of a group called the No Limit Soldiers. This group was led by Master P.
The No Limit Soldiers quickly started a rivalry with another group called The West Texas Rednecks. The Rednecks did not like rap music, which was a big part of the Soldiers' style.
On June 13, 1999, at an event called The Great American Bash, Swoll helped his teammates, Konnan and Rey Misterio Jr.. They won their match against the Rednecks' Curt Hennig and Bobby Duncum Jr..
Swoll had his first match in the ring on June 24. This was on the TV show Thunder. He and B.A. teamed up to defeat Disorderly Conduct.
At another big event, Bash at the Beach, the No Limit Soldiers won again. Swoll, Konnan, B.A., and Misterio Jr. defeated the Rednecks in a special team match.
After winning a few more matches, Swoll and B.A. lost to the Windhams on August 3. This match was on Saturday Night. This loss ended Swoll's winning streak and the rivalry between the two groups.
Swoll's last match for WCW was on August 17, also on Saturday Night. He and B.A. won against Hugh Morrus and Jerry Flynn. After this, Randy Thornton stopped wrestling professionally.
Retirement
After he stopped wrestling, Randy Thornton started working for the American Center For Character and Cultural Education. He is a born again Christian. He also gives speeches for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
See also
- List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
