Wrestling Hall of Fame – Tony Atlas
He can be termed as one of the most powerful and dominant wrestlers who ever entered the squared circle of WWE. He is the strong man, Tony Atlas, who established the reputation of extreme domination in the ring. This great wrestling superstar was famous in USA way before he entered the world of professional wrestling. Tony Atlas was Mr. USA (3-time winner of the title) and was known as a famous bodybuilder all over the world. Tony Atlas also won a lot of power lifting and bench press competitions before he joined wrestling on a full time basis.
It was in 1975 when Tony Atlas debuted in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) with his dominating physique and charismatic personality. It did not take a lot of time for the former power weightlifter, Mr. USA, to establish his reputation in the wrestling ring. Tony Atlas won the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship, Television Championship and the NWA Tag Team Championship during his fighting career at NWA. It was Larry Sharpe who trained Tony Atlas in the early days of Tony Atlas’s career. Larry Sharpe then went on to train other wrestling legends like Bam Bam Bigelow and King Kong Bundy at the “Monster factory” in New Jersey.
However, it was in early 1980s when Tony Atlas joined the premier wrestling body of that time, the WWE. Tony Atlas paired up with the famous Hall of Famer, Rocky Johnson, to fight in the WWE Tag Team division. Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson made history in the world of professional wrestling when they defeated the Wild Samoans to become the first ever African–Americans to win the World Tag Team Championship. One of the great moments in the career of Tony Atlas came when he participated in the WWE / NFL battle Royal Rumble at Wrestle Mania 2. However, Tony Atlas was eliminated by the famous William “The Refrigerator Perry”, who was also inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame.
The wrestling career of the great Tony Atlas was not limited to WWE. Tony Atlas went to different professional wrestling promotions and won the top championship belts in nearly all of them. Tony Atlas went to Puerto Rico to win the WWC Caribbean Championship and the prestigious North American Tag Team Championship in the World Wrestling Council. His long list of accomplishments does not end here, as Tony Atlas fought in World Class Championship (WCCW) Wrestling in Texas to win the WCCW Television championship and the Texas Tag Team Championship in a short period of time.
Tony Atlas reached new heights of popularity when he joined the World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Tony Atlas made a tough and dominating team by joining Cactus Jack and The Barbarian to fight against the WCW champion of that time, Ron Simmons. Tony Atlas kept himself associated with the world of professional wrestling in one way or another. After his retirement from in ring fighting, Tony Atlas made his own wrestling company called the Atlas Championship Wrestling (ACW). He then opened a small wrestling school in Maine to promote young superstars aspiring to make a name for themselves in professional wrestling.
The great wrestling legend, the people’s champion, The Rock still remembers the days when his father Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas combined their forces to make one of the most dominant Tag Team of their decade. In 2006, Tony Atlas again became the headline in the sports entertainment industry as he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. Wrestling fans sitting in the arena and millions watching at home on TV were moved by his speech, in which he mentioned the fact that he overcame extreme poverty in Virginia to become a sports legend today.
The services of Tony Atlas or Mr. USA will never be forgotten, as he was the one who paved the way for many rising and talented young wrestlers to join professional wrestling.
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