Twin Towers (professional wrestling)

Last updated

Twin Towers
Tag team
Members Akeem
Big Boss Man
Slick (manager)
Billed heightsAkeem:
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) [1]
Boss Man:
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) [2]
Combined
billed weight		780 lb (354 kg)
Akeem: 450 lb (204 kg) [1]
Boss Man: 330 lb (150 kg) [2]
Debut1988
Disbanded1990

The Twin Towers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1988 to 1990, consisting of Akeem and the Big Boss Man. They are best known for a main event feud with the Mega Powers. [3]

Contents

Origin

The Towers had before feuded with each other when the Big Boss Man was known as Big Bubba Rogers and Akeem was known as The One Man Gang in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), when Rogers defeated Gang to win the UWF World Heavyweight Championship. [4] [5] [6] This happened when Skandor Akbar who was managing Gang then deviously pitted Gang against Rogers who Akbar was also managing, for the UWF championship, Rogers then defeated Gang to win the title, and after Akbar then dumped Gang and continued to manage Rogers. [7]

Shortly after losing the UWF championship, Gang left the UWF and joined the WWF. In late 1987 when Slick was managing the One Man Gang (who had recently become "The African Dream" Akeem) as well as Rogers who had joined the WWF as The Big Boss Man. Slick then paired up Akeem with the Boss Man and billed them as The Twin Towers. The Towers made their pay-per-view debut on November 24, 1988, at the WWF 1988 Survivor Series, captaining a team with Haku, Ted DiBiase, and The Red Rooster against a team captained by The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage), Hercules, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim in a five-on-five elimination match. Hogan and Savage survived a beating from both Towers. [8]

Mega Powers feud

While still teaming as the Towers, Boss Man and Akeem had many single matches against Hogan and Savage. On the January 9, 1989 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling , WWF World Heavyweight Champion Savage had a match against Akeem. When Savage delivered his diving elbow drop to Akeem and went to pin him, Boss Man then came and entered the ring and attacked Savage with his nightstick, and Akeem was disqualified. Hogan then ran down and attacked the Towers who then left the ring. [9] On January 7, 1989 When Hogan faced Akeem on Saturday Night's Main Event XIX , Boss Man again interfered in the match, and then Elizabeth who was the manager of the Mega Powers came to help Hogan, who was then followed by Savage, who then cleared the ring of the Towers. [10]

Also in January, the Towers scored several wins over The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers). On February 3's The Main Event II , they had a match against the Mega Powers, who were having dissension between them. During the match, Akeem threw Savage out of the ring and who then landed on top of Savage's manager Elizabeth, knocking her unconscious. When Hogan saw what happened, he left the match and carried Elizabeth from the ring to the medical area. When he returned to the ring, he wanted to tag Savage, but Savage, who was furious with being abandoned during the match and very angry that he had to face the Towers alone, then slapped Hogan in the face, and then left Hogan the face the Towers by himself. Hogan then defeated the Towers by himself and the Mega Powers won the match.

Two months later at WrestleMania V, the Towers defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) after Akeem pinned Michaels following a powerbomb by the Boss Man and Akeem's Air Africa finisher. The Towers appeared on a 1989 WWF VHS Coliseum Home Video cassette called WWF Fan Favorites where they wrestled and defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) by countout. [11] Though the Towers were still wrestling as a team, Boss Man pursued the WWF world championship and wrestled a major singles match, when he received a title shot against the new WWF champion Hulk Hogan after Hogan regained the WWF World Title from Savage at WrestleMania V, after the Mega Powers disbanded.

On Saturday Night's Main Event XXI , Hogan superplexed Boss Man from a steel cage, which he then left to win the match and resolve the feud.

Title pursuit and further work

The Towers next feuded with the WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (Ax and Smash) over the title. They lost every house show match they had to Demolition, by pinfall or disqualification. [12] After Demolition lost the title to The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), they continued to feud with the Towers, who teamed with André the Giant who would lose to them and King Duggan at SummerSlam 1989, much to the surprise of commentator Jesse Ventura who had previously claimed that there was no way that he thought that Duggan and Demolition would beat the Towers and André. Ventura complained that Duggan should have been suspended as he helped Smash score the pin on Akeem after hitting Akeem with his 2x4. [13] During this time, the Towers and Slick appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show . [14]

At the 1989 Survivor Series The Towers were to team with The Honky Tonk Man and Rick Martel as a team called The Enforcers against a team called the Dream Team consisting of Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana, and the Red Rooster, but the Boss Man's partner Akeem, but was replaced at the last moment by Bad News Brown. [15] The Enforcers lost the match when Rhodes pinned Boss Man.

During this time, the Boss Man was embroiled in a feud with Dusty Rhodes, who had stolen his nightstick and handcuffs. [15] After failing to exact justice, he became a face when "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase paid Slick to have him recover the Million Dollar Championship belt from Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who had stolen it. On a February 24, 1990 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Boss Man retrieved a bag containing the belt and Roberts' python, Damien. On The Brother Love Show , he refused to accept DiBiase's money for the bag, and returned it to Roberts. [16] After that the Towers disbanded.

Breakup and aftermath

Big Boss Man

After the Towers disbanded they once again feuded. Boss Man defeated Akeem at WrestleMania VI in only 1:49 despite DiBiase (who had wrestled the previous match against Jake Roberts) jumping him before the opening bell. He beat Akeem again on April 28, Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI , by disqualification. He then joined forces with former foe Hogan, primarily against Earthquake, Jimmy Hart and Dino Bravo at SummerSlam 1990 and the 1990 Survivor Series. He left the company in March 1993 and went to All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Boss Man later resurfaced in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in December 1993 as The Boss before being rebranded as The Guardian Angel. He subsequently turned heel and became Big Bubba Rogers again, later shortened to Big Bubba. Under his real name, he mostly lost. He returned to the WWF from September 1998 to 2003. He died on September 22, 2004, from a heart attack at 41 years old.

Akeem

After losing his feud with his former partner, Akeem dropped back down to mid-card status, and left the WWF in October 1990 and reverted to the One Man Gang. [17] He wrestled in WCW in 1991, where he feuded with El Gigante. He later returned to WCW in 1995 and won the United States championship. [18] He retired from wrestling in 2009.

Reunion

Gang and Bubba were both recruited to the WCW heel stable The Dungeon of Doom in early 1996. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Elizabeth</span> American professional wrestling manager (1960–2003)

Elizabeth Ann Hulette, best known in professional wrestling circles as Miss Elizabeth, was an American occasional professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, and professional wrestling TV announcer. She gained international fame from 1985 to 1992 in the World Wrestling Federation and from 1996 to 2000 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), in her role as the manager to wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as well as other wrestlers of that period. She died as a result of an acute toxicity on May 1, 2003, in the home she shared with wrestler Lex Luger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted DiBiase</span> American professional wrestler

Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and color commentator. He is signed to WWE as of 2023, where he works in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career. He is best recalled by mainstream audiences for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled as "the Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. He has been named as one of the best technical wrestlers, and greatest villains, in pro wrestling history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Savage</span> American professional wrestler (1952–2011)

Randy Mario Poffo, better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper and professional baseball player. He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Boss Man</span> American professional wrestler (1963–2004)

Ray Washington Traylor Jr. was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Big Boss Man, as well as for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the Boss, the Man, the Guardian Angel, and Big Bubba Rogers. During his appearances with the WWF, Big Boss Man held the WWF World Tag Team Championship once and the WWF Hardcore Championship four times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IV</span> 1988 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on March 27, 1988, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The announced attendance of the event was 19,199.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania V</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 2, 1989, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A total of 14 matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Duggan</span> American professional wrestler

James Edward Duggan Jr., better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American retired professional wrestler. His best-known character is a patriot who swings a 2x4 at opponents, cries "Hoooooo!" continually with a thumbs up and leads chants of U-S-A!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tenta</span> Canadian professional wrestler (1963–2006)

John Anthony Tenta Jr. was a Canadian professional wrestler and sumo wrestler (rikishi) best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake, though initially known as Canadian Earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Man Gang</span> American professional wrestler

George Gray is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name (The) One Man Gang. For three years in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he was Akeem "The African Dream". Prior to this, he was the top heel for Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), and UWF Heavyweight Champion for six months in 1986 and 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mega Powers</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Mega Powers was a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1987 to 1989, consisting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and managed by Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth. Lust and jealousy surrounding her led to the team's demise and subsequent feud, culminating in a match at WrestleMania V. They briefly reformed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994 as The Monster Maniacs before returning to their original name. They then interacted regularly thereafter as both teammates and rivals, particularly as members of the New World Order (nWo), until their departures from WCW in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgil (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (1951-2024)

Michael Charles Jones, better known by his ring name Virgil, was an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenures in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mega Bucks</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Mega Bucks were a professional wrestling tag team that competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1988. The team, consisting of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and André the Giant, was formed in a storyline that saw DiBiase purchase André's contract from fellow manager Bobby Heenan. André was to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship from Hulk Hogan, but then he attempted to sell the belt to DiBiase. The title was vacated, but DiBiase and André were then scheduled to face Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage in a match at SummerSlam, which Hogan and Savage won. After the match, DiBiase and André went their separate ways and the team was dissolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1988)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1988 SummerSlam was the inaugural SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 29, 1988, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The pay-per-view was created to help the company compete against rival promotion Jim Crockett Promotions. It was one of the first four annual pay-per-view events produced by the WWF, along with WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series, which were eventually dubbed the "big four".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 SummerSlam was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 28, 1989, in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Ten matches were contested at the event, including one dark match held before the live broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1990)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1990 Royal Rumble was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 21, 1990, at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 Royal Rumble was the second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. After the inaugural event aired as a television special, the 1989 event aired on pay-per-view (PPV), thus becoming one of the WWF's original four annual PPV events, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which would become recognized as the "Big Four". It took place on January 15, 1989, at The Summit in Houston, Texas. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1988)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1988 Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 24, 1988, at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio for the second consecutive year. Four matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 Survivor Series was the third annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Day on November 23, 1989, at the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The program aired on December 27, 1989, and consisted of the film No Holds Barred in its entirety, followed by a match previously recorded at a Wrestling Challenge taping on December 12 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was one of the few pay-per-view events not made available for streaming at the launch of WWE Network service, although in 2018, the cage match became available as part of the WWE Supertape compilation in the service's Classic Home Video section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry</span> Professional wrestling rivalry

The André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry was a professional wrestling rivalry between wrestlers André the Giant and Hulk Hogan that took place in the World Wrestling Federation.

References

  1. 1 2 "One Man Gang". WWE.com. WWE . Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Big Boss Man". WWE.com. WWE . Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Twin Towers". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006). "UWF World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 234. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4.
  5. ↑ "The Big Boss Man". www.accelerator3359.com. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ Wrestling Scene, February 1988 issue, p.45.
  7. ↑ Sports Review Wrestling, September 1987 issue, pp.26–27.
  8. ↑ "Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Koko B. Ware, Hillbilly Jim and Hercules def. Haku, Ted DiBiase, Akeem, The Red Rooster and Big Boss Man". WWE . Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  9. ↑ Randy Savage vs Akeem WWF 89 YouTube video, January 8, 2009, archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved October 16, 2016
  10. ↑ Hulk Hogan gets beat down by Akeem and Big Boss Man 1989 WWF report shows highlights from Saturday Nights Main Event, YouTube video, January 30, 2015, archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved October 16, 2016
  11. ↑ The Twin Towers vs The Hart Foundation, WWF 1989 , retrieved July 5, 2021
  12. ↑ "Matches " Twin Towers " Tag Teams Database " CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  13. ↑ Hall of Fame: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan teams with Demolition to , retrieved March 17, 2023
  14. ↑ Twin Towers tag team on The Arsenio Hall Show 1989, archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved January 22, 2020
  15. 1 2 "World Wrestling Entertainment Substitutions". AWT. November 23, 1989. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  16. ↑ WWF History - Big Boss Man (from heel to face) YouTube video, March 17, 2008, archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved October 16, 2016
  17. ↑ Inside Wrestling, April 1991 issue, p.18.
  18. ↑ SN 1/13/96 One Man Gang beats Sasaki for US Title, archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved July 5, 2021
  19. ↑ "Every Single WCW Dungeon Of Doom Member: Fired Retired WCW WWF Wrestlers Where Are They Now in 2018". Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020– via www.youtube.com. Event occurs at 12:25
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.