TPB
11-20-2009, 02:00 AM
Bill Eadie (born December 27, 1947) is a professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar. He was a high school teacher and coach at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio, early in his professional wrestling career.
Career
NWA and WWWF/WWF (1973-1984)
Eadie started wrestling in 1973, making his debut in the Detroit territory of the Sheik (Ed Farhat). He wrestled under a mask as the "Medic". He then wrestled in Pittsburgh, Detroit and the IWA as Bolo Mongol, the new partner of his trainer, Geeto Mongol. He soon entered the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling territory and donned a mask as The Masked Superstar. He claimed to be an Olympic wrestling champion and challenged opponents with a $10,000 reward to whoever could break his Cobra clutch, as well as utilizing the deadly "Swinging Clothesline". The Masked Superstar was 6' 3" and weighed 300lbs and created many mismatches due to his size, strength and catlike quickness. He had many bouts with the Mighty Igor, #1 Paul Jones, Blackjack Mulligan, Mr. Wrestling #2 and "Wildfire" Tommy Rich. He was the first wrestler (Along with Blackjack Mulligan) to have 1 hour cagematches back in 1977. He is the first wrestler to body slam André the Giant. Among other accomplishments, he won four Georgia Heavyweight titles and unified that title with the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. He also competed in the World Wrestling Federation against many top wrestlers in 1983-84. He fought against many top level opponents, including then WWF Champion Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik, but didn't win the WWF title due to not agreeing to take his mask off after winning the WWF title, and Bob Backlund not agreeing to drop the belt to him.
World Wrestling Federation: The Second Stint (1986-1990)
In 1986, he returned to the World Wrestling Federation and became Super Machine with André the Giant as Giant Machine and Blackjack Mulligan as Big Machine. The three Machines were introduced as rivals of Bobby Heenan and his massive tag team, Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. (The Machines' masks and gimmick were copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling character "Super Strong Machine," played by Japanese wrestler Junji Hirata.) Eadie later dropped the Machine gimmick and left the WWF to head to Florida for a run as the Masked Superstar, upending Lex Luger to win the NWA Southern title.
In January 1987, Eadie returned to the WWF and competed as Ax, half of the tag team Demolition with Smash. Though they began as heels, their unique brawling style and charisma made them so popular that they became faces in November 1988. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship three times as a team of two, but lost the belts at SummerSlam 1990 after they turned heel by forming a threesome with Crush. The trio concept was precipitated by a mutual decision to phase out the Ax character and for Eadie to take a backstage role in the company. Popular rumor at the time cited heart problems on Eadie's part, which have been discredited in recent years. An allergic reaction to shellfish while in Japan after Wrestlemania VI was the real cause of his heart stopping (Eadie confirmed this in a shoot interview in 2007). Before Eadie was medically cleared, Crush had been recruited, originally as a temporary replacement.
Eadie's new position eventually fell through and his final WWF appearance was at Survivor Series 1990. This event also marked the last time that he and Smash spoke for 17 years.
In the midst of this time period, Eadie also played opposite Hulk Hogan as "Jake Bullet" in the movie No Holds Barred.
Independent Demolition (1994-1999)
In the mid-1990s, Ax formed a new Demolition team with Blast. They competed on several independent shows, then went their separate ways. They competed in American Classic Wrestling shows in Charleston competing against Sweet Stan Lane. Ax formed another version of Demolition with a 6'10" Canadian wrestler billed as "Hux". They toured with NJPW wrestling the likes of Keiji Muto and Masahiro Chono.
Independent Promotions (1991-present)
As of 2007, Eadie still wrestles occasionally for independent promotions and "legends" shows across the United States. He has also once again reformed the Demolition tag team, this time with a partner named Nitro. The Masked Superstar defeated Greg Valentine for the Mid-Atlantic Heritage Championship. The Title changed hands at the Carolina Wrestling Classic on Saturday, June 2, 2007 at the L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina.
Eadie supports the good work of the Inner Harbour Hospital Springs Campus in Rockmart, Georgia. For several years, the Masked Superstar has made many of his masks and wrestling gear available to wrestling fans through raffles and auctions, the proceeds of which support the general operating fund of the non-profit Inner Harbour Hospital.
In February 2006 Demolition Ax and The Barbarian defeated Psycho and Tracy Smothers with his Manager "Mr. Terrific" Tim Lawler in Pickens, South Carolina. On April 29 2006 Demolition Ax teamed up with The Barbarian (managed by "Mr. Terrific" Tim Lawler) and wrestled against Buff Bagwell and The Patriot in front of over 3,000 fans in Staunton, Virginia for TNT Pro Wrestling's Hog-A-Mania.
On September 9, 2006 at AWA World One South in Valdosta, Georgia, Eadie (as the Masked Superstar) teamed with local independent wrestler Loco Motive in a tag team victory over the team of KI Elite (Mike Stratus & Jame Slater)
The Millennium Wrestling Federation reunited Ax and Smash of Demolition at the Wrestling's Living Legends reunion April 1, 2007, prior to WrestleMania 23 in Windsor, Ontario. Eadie sat down with Dan Mirade for an in-depth two hour interview highlighting the team's highs and lows in the WWF. The two have agreed to many appearances together, both wrestling and autograph signings, throughout 2007 and 2008.
September 2007, after months of wrestling with former tag partner Barry Darsow (a.k.a. Smash) as a character called Demolition Slayer, Eadie and Darsow reunited finally as Ax and Smash and kicked off a whirl wind Champions tour. They are regularly competing again as Ax and Smash Demolition for the first time in 16 years now. A couple of rumors for the Slayer character are either Darsow and Eadie wanted to sort out their tag chemistry again and become more polished as a team before reclaiming their former gimmick, or that perhaps Darsow had not legally been cleared by the WWE to compete as Demolition Smash until around September 2007.
In October 2007 Eadie was at a wrestling convention with Darsow in San Francisco signing autographs and taking pictures.
On July 25, 2008, Demolition Ax & Big Daddy Dean defeated The Kosher Klub for the NWA-Underground tag team titles at a NWA-Underground show in Bourbon, Indiana. Moments after the match ended, a second referee informed original referee Blackjack Parsons, that Ax never tagged, and Big Daddy Dean was not the legal man. Therefore, the titles went back to The Kosher Klub.
On March 28, 2009, Demolition Ax was inducted into the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ax was inducted because of his success, and the fact that he is a native of Brownsville, PA, also in Western Pennsylvania.
Ax's Youtube Index
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=demolition+ax+and+smash&search_type=&aq=0&oq=Demolition+Ax
Career
NWA and WWWF/WWF (1973-1984)
Eadie started wrestling in 1973, making his debut in the Detroit territory of the Sheik (Ed Farhat). He wrestled under a mask as the "Medic". He then wrestled in Pittsburgh, Detroit and the IWA as Bolo Mongol, the new partner of his trainer, Geeto Mongol. He soon entered the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling territory and donned a mask as The Masked Superstar. He claimed to be an Olympic wrestling champion and challenged opponents with a $10,000 reward to whoever could break his Cobra clutch, as well as utilizing the deadly "Swinging Clothesline". The Masked Superstar was 6' 3" and weighed 300lbs and created many mismatches due to his size, strength and catlike quickness. He had many bouts with the Mighty Igor, #1 Paul Jones, Blackjack Mulligan, Mr. Wrestling #2 and "Wildfire" Tommy Rich. He was the first wrestler (Along with Blackjack Mulligan) to have 1 hour cagematches back in 1977. He is the first wrestler to body slam André the Giant. Among other accomplishments, he won four Georgia Heavyweight titles and unified that title with the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. He also competed in the World Wrestling Federation against many top wrestlers in 1983-84. He fought against many top level opponents, including then WWF Champion Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik, but didn't win the WWF title due to not agreeing to take his mask off after winning the WWF title, and Bob Backlund not agreeing to drop the belt to him.
World Wrestling Federation: The Second Stint (1986-1990)
In 1986, he returned to the World Wrestling Federation and became Super Machine with André the Giant as Giant Machine and Blackjack Mulligan as Big Machine. The three Machines were introduced as rivals of Bobby Heenan and his massive tag team, Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. (The Machines' masks and gimmick were copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling character "Super Strong Machine," played by Japanese wrestler Junji Hirata.) Eadie later dropped the Machine gimmick and left the WWF to head to Florida for a run as the Masked Superstar, upending Lex Luger to win the NWA Southern title.
In January 1987, Eadie returned to the WWF and competed as Ax, half of the tag team Demolition with Smash. Though they began as heels, their unique brawling style and charisma made them so popular that they became faces in November 1988. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship three times as a team of two, but lost the belts at SummerSlam 1990 after they turned heel by forming a threesome with Crush. The trio concept was precipitated by a mutual decision to phase out the Ax character and for Eadie to take a backstage role in the company. Popular rumor at the time cited heart problems on Eadie's part, which have been discredited in recent years. An allergic reaction to shellfish while in Japan after Wrestlemania VI was the real cause of his heart stopping (Eadie confirmed this in a shoot interview in 2007). Before Eadie was medically cleared, Crush had been recruited, originally as a temporary replacement.
Eadie's new position eventually fell through and his final WWF appearance was at Survivor Series 1990. This event also marked the last time that he and Smash spoke for 17 years.
In the midst of this time period, Eadie also played opposite Hulk Hogan as "Jake Bullet" in the movie No Holds Barred.
Independent Demolition (1994-1999)
In the mid-1990s, Ax formed a new Demolition team with Blast. They competed on several independent shows, then went their separate ways. They competed in American Classic Wrestling shows in Charleston competing against Sweet Stan Lane. Ax formed another version of Demolition with a 6'10" Canadian wrestler billed as "Hux". They toured with NJPW wrestling the likes of Keiji Muto and Masahiro Chono.
Independent Promotions (1991-present)
As of 2007, Eadie still wrestles occasionally for independent promotions and "legends" shows across the United States. He has also once again reformed the Demolition tag team, this time with a partner named Nitro. The Masked Superstar defeated Greg Valentine for the Mid-Atlantic Heritage Championship. The Title changed hands at the Carolina Wrestling Classic on Saturday, June 2, 2007 at the L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina.
Eadie supports the good work of the Inner Harbour Hospital Springs Campus in Rockmart, Georgia. For several years, the Masked Superstar has made many of his masks and wrestling gear available to wrestling fans through raffles and auctions, the proceeds of which support the general operating fund of the non-profit Inner Harbour Hospital.
In February 2006 Demolition Ax and The Barbarian defeated Psycho and Tracy Smothers with his Manager "Mr. Terrific" Tim Lawler in Pickens, South Carolina. On April 29 2006 Demolition Ax teamed up with The Barbarian (managed by "Mr. Terrific" Tim Lawler) and wrestled against Buff Bagwell and The Patriot in front of over 3,000 fans in Staunton, Virginia for TNT Pro Wrestling's Hog-A-Mania.
On September 9, 2006 at AWA World One South in Valdosta, Georgia, Eadie (as the Masked Superstar) teamed with local independent wrestler Loco Motive in a tag team victory over the team of KI Elite (Mike Stratus & Jame Slater)
The Millennium Wrestling Federation reunited Ax and Smash of Demolition at the Wrestling's Living Legends reunion April 1, 2007, prior to WrestleMania 23 in Windsor, Ontario. Eadie sat down with Dan Mirade for an in-depth two hour interview highlighting the team's highs and lows in the WWF. The two have agreed to many appearances together, both wrestling and autograph signings, throughout 2007 and 2008.
September 2007, after months of wrestling with former tag partner Barry Darsow (a.k.a. Smash) as a character called Demolition Slayer, Eadie and Darsow reunited finally as Ax and Smash and kicked off a whirl wind Champions tour. They are regularly competing again as Ax and Smash Demolition for the first time in 16 years now. A couple of rumors for the Slayer character are either Darsow and Eadie wanted to sort out their tag chemistry again and become more polished as a team before reclaiming their former gimmick, or that perhaps Darsow had not legally been cleared by the WWE to compete as Demolition Smash until around September 2007.
In October 2007 Eadie was at a wrestling convention with Darsow in San Francisco signing autographs and taking pictures.
On July 25, 2008, Demolition Ax & Big Daddy Dean defeated The Kosher Klub for the NWA-Underground tag team titles at a NWA-Underground show in Bourbon, Indiana. Moments after the match ended, a second referee informed original referee Blackjack Parsons, that Ax never tagged, and Big Daddy Dean was not the legal man. Therefore, the titles went back to The Kosher Klub.
On March 28, 2009, Demolition Ax was inducted into the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ax was inducted because of his success, and the fact that he is a native of Brownsville, PA, also in Western Pennsylvania.
Ax's Youtube Index
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=demolition+ax+and+smash&search_type=&aq=0&oq=Demolition+Ax