Tony Atlas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anthony White | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Tony Atlas Saba Simba |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 261 lb (118 kg) |
| Born | April 23, 1954 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Resides | Auburn, Maine |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe |
| Debut | 1974 |
Tony Atlas (1954-, born Anthony White, Roanoke, VA) is a professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and powerlifter.
[edit] Career
Atlas started wrestling in 1974 as "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas because he was a "Mr. USA" bodybuilder prior to entering professional wrestling. He started in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and immediately feuded with the anti-American Ivan Koloff and the Iron Sheik.
During his career, Atlas worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, the World Wrestling Council (WWC), World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Among his regular partners were Tommy Rich (as "TNT"), Dick Murdoch, and Rocky Johnson. He was also known as the first person ever to cleanly pin Hulk Hogan, and has never lost to him either.
During his time with the NWA, Atlas captured the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title with Tommy Rich. He later teamed with Mr. Wrestling II, Thunderbolt Patterson, Kevin Sullivan, and Rocky Johnson. In the WWF, Tony teamed with Rocky Johnson to defeat The Wild Samoans to win the Tag Team Titles becoming the first Black tag team to do so. In 1987, Tony teamed with Skip Young to win the World Class Texas Tag Team Title. In 1990, Tony again wrestled in the WWF as Saba Simba. In 1992, he wrestled in WCW, and in 1994 for the American Wrestling Federation (AWF). Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson together were known as "The Soul Patrol."
Tony currently runs his own promotion throughout the New England area called Atlas Pro Wrestling. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and trains at Fitness World in Lewiston, Maine. Tony Atlas's signature move is the gorilla press slam.
On April 1, 2006, Tony Atlas was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Special Delivery Jones.
[edit] Managers
- The Duke
- Cactus Jack
- Tony Rumble
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- Announced to be inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame on March 27, 2006.
- National Wrestling Alliance
- 1-Time NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion
- 4-Time NWA Georgia Tag Team Champion (with Kevin Sullivan, Tim Woods, Thunderbolt Patterson and Tommy Rich)
- 1-Time NWA Georgia Television Champion
- 1-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time NWA West Virginia/Ohio Heavyweight Champion
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 171 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. Atlas also won the PWI Most Improved Wrestler Award in 1980.
- World Class Championship Wrestling
- 1-Time WCCW Television Champion
- 1-Time WCCW Texas Tag Team Champion (with Skip Young)
- World Wrestling Council
- 1-Time WWC Caribbean Champion
- 1-Time WWC North American Tag Team Champion (with Miguel Perez Jr.)
- World Wrestling Federation
- 1-Time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Rocky Johnson)
- Other Titles
- 1-Time CWA Heavyweight Champion
- 2-Time ICW/IWCCW Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time ICCW Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time EWA Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time UWS Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time UWS Tag Team Champion (with S.D. Jones)
- 2-Time WWWA Intercontinental Champion
- 1-Time Tri-State Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time AWF North American Champion
- World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame
- Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006
