Brian Hildebrand
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| Brian Hildebrand | |
|---|---|
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| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Mark Curtis |
| Billed height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Billed weight | 145 lb |
| Born | 1962 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 8, 1999 |
| Trained by | Dominic DeNucci Tommy Young |
| Debut | 1984 |
Brian Curtis Hildebrand was a professional wrestling manager, wrestler and referee who sometimes went by the name of Mark Curtis.
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[edit] Career
Hildebrand started out as a manager in 1984 in the independent territories in the northeastern United States. He was a heel manager and he managed Cactus Jack at one time. He also won the Southern States Wrestling Women's Title in the early 1990's.
He went on to Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) in 1992 where he was a referee and also wrestled occasionally as Kowabunga, fully costumed like a Ninja Turtle. When SMW closed in 1995, he went on to work as referee Mark Curtis in World Championship Wrestling. During his time in WCW, he earned the nickname "The Shooter" after a fan attempted to interfere in a live WCW television match. As the invading fan slid under the bottom rope to enter the ring, Hildebrand, who happened to have glanced over just as the man jumped the guard rail, dropped to the mat, placed the man in a front facelock, and held him there until WCW security could take him into custody. Play-by-play announcer Tony Schiavone and then-color commentator Bobby "The Brain" Heenan found this amusing, with Heenan observing "That guy just got taken down by the smallest referee in the buisness".
[edit] Death and memorials
Hildebrand was diagnosed with stomach and bowel cancer in October 1997. After having surgery in attempt to remove it, he continued refereeing for WCW throughout the following months. During the final stage of his disease in 1999, a Curtis Goes Home benefit was held in his hometown of Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania. Cody Michaels developed and promoted the event, which is viewed by wrestling insiders and experts as one of the truly memorable events in history that actually brought together the major companies at the time, WWE, WCW, and ECW, in support for one of the most genuinely loved workers in the industry. The major stars that worked and provided support that night included Mick Foley, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shane Douglas, Bruno Sammartino, Domenic DeNucci, Terry Taylor, D-Lo Brown, Al Snow, Hugh Morris, Les Thatcher, Billy Kidman, Chris Candido, and many others.
Hildebrand finally died from the disease on September 8th, 1999. His sheer will and determination allowed him to referee one last match at a local independent show mere days before his passing. Hildebrand's death was briefly acknowledged on the following edition of WCW Thunder, but the first WCW event to have taken place after his death was a house show on September 11th at the Baltimore Arena, which was held in his honor with a ten bell salute. Late in the show, friends Shane Douglas, Chris Beniot, and Dean Malenko (known as Revolution) shared heartfelt words about Hildebrand and dedicated the show to him.
Hildebrand inspired the Mark Curtis Fantasy Camp 2001 a training event with Bill Demott (a.k.a. Hugh Morris) on hand. A Mark Curtis Memorial Show would also be held on May 7th, 2005 at the Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee. The main event pitted Al Snow & D-Lo Brown against Shane Douglas & Mick Foley.
[edit] Wrestling gimmicks
- Kowabunga
- Heimi Schwarz
[edit] Wrestlers managed
- Cactus Jack
- Preston Steele
- Jesse Sellica
- Chris Evans
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- 1-Time SSW Women's Champion
