Oliver Humperdink
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| Oliver Humperdink | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Kahuna Big Daddy Dink Sir Oliver Humperdink |
| Born | January 16, 1949 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Resides | Minneapolis, Minnesota[1] |
| Debut | 1973[1] |
| Retired | 1993[1] |
John Sutton[1] (born January 16, 1949), better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.
Contents |
[edit] Career
In the early and mid 1960s, John Sutton began to get to know several wrestlers while working as an usher in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1] He eventually landed a job as a sort of security guard for the American Wrestling Association (AWA).[1] In 1973, he met Paul Vachon when he went to work at Grand Prix Wrestling (GPW).[1] At GPW, Sutton worked as a manager and an occasional wrestler.[1] He also refereed for a time.[1] Sutton, by this time using the ringname Sir Oliver Humperdink, began managing the Hollywood Blondes after they split with their manager, Johnny Rougeau.[1] Both Don Jardine and Dale Roberts are credited with coming up with his new moniker.[1] The name came about to gain heat with the French fans in Canada who hated anything English.[1]
In 1974, Humperdink went to Florida Championship Wrestling and was put into an angle with Mike Graham and Kevin Sullivan.[1] Two years later, he began working with the Hollywood Blondes once again.[1]
He worked for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s where he managed Greg Valentine, Paul Jones and The One Man Gang.[1] He left the company in 1983 but returned five years later before the company folded.[1] While still in the NWA, he formed a stable known as the "House of Humperdink".[1] As a singles wrestler, he held the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship and NWA Central States Television Championship.
In 1987, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) approached Humperdink and offered him a job.[1] As a part of the WWF, he managed Bam Bam Bigelow.[1] That same year, he also began managing Paul Orndorff during his feud with Rick Rude.[1] His gimmick was that of a face, but Sutton did not like the gimmick off-screen.[1] He managed the duo during the first ever Survivor Series in a match that they lost when Bigelow was pinned by Andre the Giant.[1] Humperdink also managed Bigelow during WrestleMania IV when he lost in the first round of a WWF Championship tournament.[1]
When he returned to the NWA in 1988, he managed the New Wild Samoans (Solofa Fatu, Samu, and the Tonga Kid).[1] He also returned to the side of Bigelow in his feud with Barry Windham in a match at Starrcade.[1]
He worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the early 1990s as "Big Daddy Dink", a biker-type gimmick.[1] In WCW, he managed the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin).[1] Off-screen, Sutton hated his new gimmick and WCW's office politics.[1] He retired in 1993.[1]
[edit] Personal life
In the 1960s, Sutton was in a car crash and nearly lost his life when he hit a snow bank.[1] After recovering from the incident, his health deteriorated.[1] In 2001, he went through surgery to replace his aortic valve in Key West.[1] He was equipped with a pace maker and made a full recovery.[1] The Cauliflower Alley Club helped pay for some of his medical expenses.[1] Sutton returned to the hospital in 2008 after heart troubles complicated a case of pneumonia.[1]
He goes to the annual Cauliflower Alley Club conventions every year.[1]
Sutton has never married nor had kids.[1]
[edit] Wrestlers managed
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
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- Manager of the Year Award (1980)[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo Matt Mackinder (January 17, 2008). Sir Oliver Humperdink recalls career of yesteryear. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
