Gary Hart (born Gary Williams) started out as a wrestler in 1963 in the
Illinois and
Wisconsin territories. In the late 1960's, he became a manager called "Playboy" Gary Hart.
Gary Hart became the booker for
World Class Championship Wrestling in 1979, a position he would hold until 1987. Gary Hart is largely credited (alongside Bill Mercer,
Fritz and
David Von Erich) with the success of WCCW, as 1982-1985 are largely considered to be the "Golden Years" of the promotion. Hart created the classic feud between the
Von Erichs and the Fabulous Freebirds, as well as introducing memorable characters like the Great Kabuki,
Great Muta, King Kong Bundy, the One Man Gang and the Samoan Swat Team. Hart additionally discovered talent such as Gino Hernandez and Chris Adams. Along with booking, he also managed
Nord the Barbarian, Abdullah The Butcher, Al Perez and
Jeep Swenson under the stable "New Age Management", and always feuded with the top faces of the promotion. In 1984, Hart managed
Gentleman Chris Adams, who turned heel and engaged in a major feud with
Kevin and
Kerry Von Erich. As a result, Adams was propeled to the top of the wrestling world and eventually won the NWA American title in 1985.
Shortly after the folding of WCCW, Hart continued to manage Al Perez in the
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s
Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987, along with
Larry Zbyszko. In 1989, he managed the stable
J-Tex Corporation, which included
Terry Funk, Dick Slater, Buzz Sawyer, The Dragonmaster, and
The Great Muta. They feuded primarily with
Ric Flair and
Sting, but
Ole and
Arn Anderson later teamed up with Flair and Sting to even the sides up (and thus bringing back The Four Horseman briefly). J-Tex disbanded in early 1990.
During the 1990s, following the demise of the
Global Wrestling Federation, Hart and Chris Adams were involved in many Texas-based wrestling promotions, including an ill-fated attempt to revive World Class (billed as World Class II: The Next Generation) at the
Dallas Sportatorium. Hart retired in 1999, but made a surprise return in
Major League Wrestling, during the promotion's
Reloaded Tour on January 9-10, 2004. He appeared following the main event (on January 9th) pitting
Low-Ki against
Homicide, where the three laid out several wrestlers from the locker room, as well as MLW president (and nephew of Hart's)
Court Bauer. Also during the tour, Hart's son Chad (who was trained by Chris Adams,
Skandor Akbar and Gary Hart) debuted and wrestled on both events. On January 10, Hart attacked Terry Funk immediately after his barbed-wire "I Quit" match with Steve Corino. It would prove to be MLW's final show, as the promotion folded in February of the same year.
rss feed