Brian Damage

The role of a jobber in wrestling history is arguably vastly underrated. Local talent turn up at a show and earn a small amount of money to make their opponent that night look like a superstar. It’s certainly a lost art-form. Today Brian takes a look at some of the better known jobbers to earn money by staring up at the ceiling.

In the past, we have talked at great length about the former jobbers of wrestling They were journeymen who were predominantly used in the 1980s and early 1990s. While they were beat up and lost every week…they were skilled, trained wrestlers who were used to make bigger stars look better. The jobber was a very under appreciated and overlooked art form.

They bumped like crazy, gave little to no offense and almost always lost. Many didn’t look they were conditioned athletes, but rest assured…they could go if asked. For fans growing up and watching pro wrestling in that era…we all had our favorite jobbers.

Whether they were from the WWF, WCW or the AWA…we all had our favorites that we knew had no chance of winning a match. We may not have fully appreciated their services at the time…but now as we have gotten older…realize just how special they really were.

This piece is my personal quest to locate some of these former “jabronis” of professional wrestling and see what they look like now and in some cases…see what they are up to. I was surprised to find that some of these men still compete in wrestling in some form or another, while others have completely left the business. Regardless of what they chose to do with their lives after the Jobber Hey Day…I still hold nothing but the highest regards for these wrestlers and the dirty work they had to do.

Some of these names you may recognize, while others not so much. Many of these wrestlers had success elsewhere in other promotions. When Vince McMahon and the WWF or WCW came calling they made them into enhancement talent. So without any further ado, I give you the best of the worst. (Or at least that’s what the promoters wanted you to think.)

Ricky Ataki

Ricky Ataki is now retired from pro wrestling and works as a writer and a producer at the CW network.

Nasty Ned

Nasty Ned Brady still wrestles occasionally and resides in North Carolina

Omar Atlas

Omar Atlas is now retired from wrestling and resides in San Antonio, Texas

Tony Zane

Tony Zane still wrestles occasionally and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tony Roy

Tony aka Antoine Roy still wrestles to this day and lives in the New Hampshire area.

Red Tyler

Red Tyler is retired from pro wrestling and now works in accounting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Randy Hogan

Randy Hogan is retired from pro wrestling after suffering a series of heart attacks. He is now living a quiet life in Orlando, Florida with his beautiful bride.

The Italian Stallion

The Italian Stallion is retired and works as in the insurance business in Florida.

Reno Riggins

Reno Riggins is still involved in pro wrestling and resides in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.

Jim Powers

Jim Powers is now retired from pro wrestling and resides in Florida.

Aaron Ferguson

Aaron Ferguson no longer wrestles. He works for the government and resides in upstate New York.

Rusty Brooks

Rusty Brooks still occasionally wrestles and trains up and coming wrestlers. He now resides in Florida.

The Road Block

Road Block is now retired from pro wrestling and lives and works in Rochester, New York.

Barry Hardy

Barry Hardy still wrestles occasionally and now lives and works in Florida.

Dusty Wolfe

Dusty Wolfe is retired from wrestling and works as an Adjunct professor at a University in the Houston, Texas area.

The Gambler

The Gambler is retired from wrestling and lives and works in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area.

Mike Fever

Mike Fever sadly passed away in 2009. He died of a heart attack at age 53. He last lived in South Carolina.

Jim Clontz

Jim Clontz still wrestles occasionally and lives and works in the North Carolina area.

Bert Centeno

He still wrestles occasionally and trains future pro wrestlers in Puerto Rico.

Mario Mancini

Mario Mancini is involved with wrestling occasionally and resides in the Connecticut area.

Ross Greenberg

Ross Greenberg is now retired from pro wrestling and works as a distributor for athletic apparel in the Boca Raton, Florida area.

Brian Costello

Brian Costello still actively wrestles and also works as a high school wrestling coach. He lives in the South Bend, Indiana area.

Tiger Chung Lee

Tiger Chung Lee is retired and works for a non profit company based in Japan.

Barry Horowitz

Barry is now retired and owns a vitamin store in Florida.

Duane Gill/Gillberg

Duane Gill owns and operates a wrestling school in the Maryland area.

Sivi Afi

Sivi Afi is retired and is an author as well as an ordained minister in the Ohio area.

Tom ‘Rocky’ Stone

Tom Stone is retired from wrestling and owns a roofing company in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area.

Brad Anderson

Brad Anderson…the son of Gene Anderson was enhancement talent for WCW for a spell. He still wrestles on the independent scene and resides in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

This piece is dedicated to memory of ‘Iron’ Mike Sharpe who sadly passed away recently.