Tony Atlas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tony Atlas |
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Atlas in 1982
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| Birth name | Anthony White |
| Born | April 23, 1954 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Joyce White
(m. 1973; div. 1997)Monika White
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas Saba Simba Black Atlas Tony Atlas White Black Superman |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Billed from | Roanoke, Virginia Jungles of Uganda (as Saba Simba) |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe |
| Debut | July 10, 1974 |
Anthony White (born April 23, 1954), famous as Tony Atlas, is an American athlete. He was a successful bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler. He won many titles in all these sports. People also called him "Mr. USA" (he won this three times!) and the "Black Superman". Later, he even had a wrestling character called Saba Simba. Tony Atlas also worked as a manager for WWE and signed a special "legends" contract in 2012.
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Tony Atlas's Wrestling Journey
Starting His Wrestling Career (1974–1984)
Tony Atlas began his wrestling career in 1974. His first match was on July 10. He teamed up with Bob Bruggers and won. Atlas quickly became known for his strength.
He wrestled for many different companies. These included World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He also wrestled for the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Tony Atlas often teamed with wrestlers like Tommy Rich and Rocky Johnson. He was even the first person to lift and pin Hulk Hogan!
While wrestling for the NWA, Atlas won the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title. He won it with Tommy Rich. He also teamed with other famous wrestlers. These included Mr. Wrestling II and Kevin Sullivan. In 1982, he wrestled in Japan.
Becoming a Star in WWF (1979–1984)
Tony Atlas joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. He won his first match on October 23. He had a rivalry with Jesse "The Body" Ventura. They argued about who had a better body.
In 1983, he made history with Rocky Johnson. They formed a team called The Soul Patrol. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championship. This made them the first black champions in the company's history.
Returning to WWF (1984–1986, 1987)
After a short time in the AWA, Atlas came back to the WWF. He won many matches against top wrestlers. He even beat Bob Orton and Greg Valentine. However, he started to lose more matches. He faced wrestlers like Bret Hart and Roddy Piper.
Atlas appeared at Wrestlemania 2 in 1986. He was in a big Battle Royal match. He also helped new wrestlers look strong by losing to them. He had matches against other strong wrestlers. These included Hercules and Ted Arcidi. His last match was in September 1986. He made a one-time return in 1987. He teamed with The Junkyard Dog.
Wrestling Around the World (1986–1993)
After leaving WWF, Tony Atlas went to World Class Championship Wrestling. He was called "The Black Superman" there. In 1986, he won the World Class World Television Championship. He also won the World Class Texas Tag Team Title with Skip Young.
In 1988, Atlas was in Puerto Rico. He was a witness to a sad event. This was the death of wrestler Bruiser Brody. Atlas later spoke about what happened in a TV show.
He then wrestled for International Championship Wrestling. He even became a "bad guy" wrestler. He won the ICW Heavyweight title twice. After this, he took a break from wrestling. He was homeless for a while.
In 1990, Atlas returned to the WWF again. He wrestled as "Saba Simba." This character was a warrior from Uganda. Tony Atlas said this character saved his life. He was homeless before getting the call from WWE. He left the company in 1991.
Atlas then wrestled for other groups. He won the IWCCW title again. In 1992, he joined WCW. He teamed with The Barbarian. They had rivalries with other teams. Atlas also took part in a tournament. He wrestled against Big Van Vader. He left WCW in 1993.
Independent Wrestling and Later WWE Appearances (1993–Present)
Since 1993, Tony Atlas has wrestled for many independent wrestling groups. He has teamed with Tito Santana and Koko B Ware. He still wrestles occasionally in New England. In 2023, at age 69, he won the SICW Tag Team titles. He continues to wrestle even at 70 years old!
Atlas made a surprise return to the WWF in 1997. He appeared on Monday Night RAW. He cheered on Rocky Maivia, who is the son of his old tag team partner Rocky Johnson.
In 2006, Tony Atlas was honored. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. S. D. Jones introduced him.
In 2008, Atlas appeared on ECW. He became the manager for ECW Champion Mark Henry. He helped Henry keep his title in several matches. Atlas even wrestled in a WWE ring for the first time in 17 years! He teamed with Mark Henry. He also appeared on The Abraham Washington Show as a sidekick.
Tony Atlas was released from WWE in 2010. However, he still made special appearances. He was on "Old School Raw" and presented a Slammy Award. In 2014, he was on the WWE Network reality show, Legends' House.
Tony Atlas's Life Outside Wrestling
Tony Atlas was born in Roanoke, Virginia. He went to Patrick Henry High School there. Today, he lives in Auburn, Maine with his wife, Monika. He has one daughter, Nikki, from his first marriage.
Tony Atlas also wrote a book. It is called ATLAS: Too Much...Too Soon. It was released in 2010.
Championships and Awards
Tony Atlas won many championships and awards throughout his career:
- Americas Wrestling Federation
- AWF North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Century Wrestling Alliance
- CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Eastern Wrestling Alliance
- EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Tommy Rich (1), Mr. Wrestling II (1), Thunderbolt Patterson (1), and Kevin Sullivan (1)
- International World Class Championship Wrestling
- IWCCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- International Wrestling (Quebec)
- WCWA Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Tri-State
- NWA West Virginia/Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New England Pro Wrestling
- NEPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2009
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1980)
- PWI ranked him #64 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year on the PWI 500 list in 1996
- PWI ranked him #171 of the top 500 wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling
- SICW Tag Team Championship (1 time)- with Bob Orton Jr.
- Southwest Championship Wrestling
- SCW Southwest Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- L&G Promotions
- L&G Promotions Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Universal Superstars of America
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- USA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with S. D. Jones
- World Class Wrestling Association
- WCWA Television Championship (1 time)
- WCWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Skip Young
- World Wide Wrestling Alliance
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- WWWA Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Miguel Pérez, Jr.
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocky Johnson
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)
- World Bodybuilding Guild
- WBBG Hall Of Fame (Class of 2007)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Strongest Wrestler (1981)
See also
In Spanish: Tony Atlas para niños
