Jim Powers

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Jim Powers
An image of Jim Powers.
Statistics
Ring name(s) James Manley
Jim Powers
Billed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Billed weight 235 lb (107 kg)
Born January 4, 1958 (1958-01-04) (age 50)
Resides East Rutherford, New Jersey
Billed from New York City, New York
Trained by Big John Studd
Debut 1984

James Manley (born January 4, 1958), better known by his ring name Jim Powers is an American professional wrestler. He most notably wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. The high point of his career was teaming with Paul Roma as The Young Stallions.

Contents

[edit] Career

Powers was discovered and brought into the WWF in late 1984 by Big John Studd who also had a hand in training him[1]. In 1985, Powers ventured outside the WWF to gain more experience. Most notably, he worked for two Texas based promotions: Texas All-Star Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling where he appeared at a couple of the federation’s featured "Star Wars" events[2] [3]. After gaining more experience, Powers returned to the WWF and resumed the role he had for most of his career, being used as a jobber.

[edit] Young Stallions

He arguably reached the peak of his career in the WWF when Powers, on March 11, 1987, along with fellow preliminary wrestler Paul Roma, formed a tag team called The Young Stallions [4]. The team seemingly received their name by accident when color commentator Bruno Sammartino referred to them once as "a couple of young stallions" thus naming the team. The statement was fitting as Powers possessed huge biceps and a chiseled torso, while Roma's physique resembled that of a Greek God. Powers and Roma were still viewed as enhancement talent when, during the August 8, 1987 episode of Superstars (taped August 4, they scored an upset disqualification victory over WWF Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation [5]. The victory launched the team into a run as featured performers in the WWF. Along with The Killer Bees, they were the only survivors in the elimination tag team match at the first annual Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 26, 1987[1].

The team was placed in featured matches on television and at house shows, but most times ended up on the losing end. Following yet another loss, this time to Demolition on the March 19, 1989 episode of Wrestling Challenge, the team began arguing after the match. Soon, they were split up off camera without an official announcement. Roma and Powers went their separate ways and both floundered on the undercard afterwards; while Roma would later team up with Hercules to form the team of Power and Glory, Powers would continue to work as an “Enhancement talent". During this time, he most notably became the first WWF wrestler to lose to Ric Flair when the "Nature Boy" made his Federation debut on the September 30, 1991 episode of Prime Time Wrestling [6]. In 1994, Jim Powers left the WWF a full decade after first signing with the company.

Having failed to achieve real success in the WWF, Powers resurfaced in World Championship Wrestling in the spring of 1995 hoping to shed his “Jobber" image. He was scouted and then managed for a brief time by Teddy Long as well as being scheduled to form a mid card stable with “Desperado" Joe Gomez and The Renegade but nothing ever came of it. The “highlight" of his WCW run so to speak was when he was attacked and spray painted during a mid-1996 match by the emerging New World Order. The reason for the attack was simply that the NWO wanted to address the crowd; it didn't really have anything to do with Jim Powers as he was just an expendable body. Just like in the WWF, WCW saw nothing but “Enhancement Talent" work for Jim Powers who finally left the company in early 1999 without doing anything more significant than being one of the sixty competitors in the annual WCW World War 3 Pay Per View in 1996[7].

After spending several years in semi-retirement and rehabbing a neck injury that forced him out of the squared circle in the first place, Jim Powers returned to wrestling for an independent promoter on March 9, 2007.

[edit] In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
  • Signature moves

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Brian Shields (4th Edition 2006). Main event – WWE in the raging 80s. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6. 
  2. ^ prowrestlinghistory.com. WCCW Holiday Star Wars Results. Retrieved on 04-03, 2007. “Brian Adias NC Jim Powers.”
  3. ^ prowrestlinghistory.com. WCCW Holiday Star Wars Results. Retrieved on 04-03, 2007. “Kelly Kinsiki pinned Jim Powers..”
  4. ^ Graham Cawthon. WWF Show Results 1987. Retrieved on 04-03, 2007. “Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis) defeated Paul Roma & Jim Powers”
  5. ^ Graham Cawthon. WWF Show Results 1987. Retrieved on 04-07, 2007. “Roma & Jim Powers defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (w/ Jimmy Hart) via disqualification when the champions illegally double teamed the challengers”
  6. ^ Graham Cawthon. WWF Show Results 1991. Retrieved on 04-03, 2007.
  7. ^ prowrestlinghistory.com. WCW World War III (1996). Retrieved on 04-03, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Persondata
NAME Powers, Jim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Manley, James
SHORT DESCRIPTION professional wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH January 4, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH East Rutherford, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH