Dead Wrestler Wednesday: Brian Adams

Brian Adams first stepped into the national spotlight as Crush, the third member of WWE Tag Team Champions Demolition.  As part of the Championship trio, Crush and his partners defended their titles under the Freebird Rule, meaning that any two of them could wrestle in championship matches at any time.  This made Crush a de facto champion, despite the fact that he was not part of the team that won the titles.

After the disbanning of the Demolition stable, Crush became known for his Hawaiian heritage, adopting a surfer gimmick and often being referred to as Kona Crush.  He ran with the gimmick, feuding with Doink the Clown and Shawn Michaels, until an injury forced him out of action in July of 1993.  Months later, Crush returned to WWE television as a heel, attacking former friend Randy Savage for failing to visit him during his recuperation.  It was during this time that Crush aligned himself with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji, becoming a Japanese sympathizer.  This led to what was perhaps Crush’s most memeroable WWE match, a falls count anywhere contest with Randy Savage at WrestleMania X, which he lost.

In 1995, Adams was arrested and subsequently jailed for carrying an illegal handgun and purchasing steroids in his home state of Hawaii.  This real life indiscretion led to an onscreen character, as the following year Crush returned to WWE with a new biker gimmick with his incarceration being mentioned on-screen.  With this gimmick, Crush was managed by his attorney, Clarence Mason.  He soon joined the Nation of Domination, and when he was eventually kicked out of the group, he started his own stable, a biker gang called The Disciples of Apocalypse.

In 1998, Brian Adams surfaced in WCW, now going by his real name.  Upon his debut, he joined the nWo, and remained a member of nWo Black & White for months until the stable was eventually dissolved.  Adams then underwent another gimmick change, becoming the KISS Demon.  Luckily for Adams, he only portrayed the character for one night before it was handed over to Dale Torberg.  Months later, Adams found his niche in World Championship Wrestling, teaming with Brian Clark (formerly Atom Bomb) as the tag team KroniK.  When WWE purchased WCW, Adams returned briefly to the company as part of the Invasion story line.  Along with Clark, he feuded with the The Brothers of Destruction before departing the organization once again.  Adams was forced to retire after sustaining an injury in 2003.  After his retirement, the big man served as the real-life bodyguard of friend and fellow wrestler Randy Savage.  In August of 2007, Adams passed away at age 44.  It is believed that the use of illegal steroids played a role in his demise.