Mark Hildreth
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| Mark Hildreth | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Van Hammer Hammer Major Stash |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 280 lb (127 kg) |
| Born | November 11 Hebron, Maryland |
| Billed from | New York City |
| Trained by | WCW Power Plant |
| Debut | 1991 |
| Retired | 2002 |
Mark Hildreth is a former professional wrestler best known as Van Hammer in World Championship Wrestling.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] World Championship Wrestling (1991-2001)
Hildreth started wrestling in 1991 under the Van Hammer name in independent promotion Georgia All-Star Wrestling, before he jumped to WCW later in the year and became known as "Heavy Metal" Van Hammer which saw him adopt a rock guitarist gimmick. He made his debut at Clash of the Champions XVI in which he squashed veteran wrestler Terrance Taylor in 39 seconds. He soon dropped the "Heavy Metal" part of the gimmick and again wrestled as simply Van Hammer. He had a small feud with Vinnie Vegas due to the arm-wrestling tournament but the angle was short-lived.
At Starrcade '92, he teamed with "Dangerous" Dan Spivey to defeat Johnny B. Badd and Cactus Jack to earn a spot in the Battle Bowl match.
In 1994, he feuded very briefly with Diamond Dallas Page while Page was doing an arm-wrestling gimmick. Hammer left WCW shortly thereafter.
He returned to WCW in the late 1990's using the single name Hammer and joined The Flock, a stable led by Raven. Hammer won a "Loser Leaves The Flock" match against Perry Saturn in May of 1998. Despite winning the match, Hammer was attacked by The Flock after the match and was thrown out of the group. He formed a brief alliance with Juventud Guerrera to feud with the Flock, but they went their separate ways soon after.
Hammer spent some time working a hippie gimmick, mainly wrestling on WCW Saturday Night. He then switched gimmicks to "a guy who hates peace" and got a minor push against then WCW TV Champion Rick Steiner, but was unable to win the title.
In 2000, Hammer joined the Misfits In Action and was renamed Major Stash. He was originally going to be called "Private Stash" in a coy reference to marijuana, but he balked to WCW producers about being given the lowest ranking in the group, and he was renamed Major Stash. He was released from WCW that same year. He subsequently retired after his release.
[edit] Other media
Hildreth provided voice talent for the Wii game SSX Blur, released in 2007.
[edit] In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Cobra clutch slam
- Hammer Rocks (Slingshot suplex)
- Flashback (Double leg slam)
- Managers
- Alexis
- Major Gunns
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 402 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
- World Championship Wrestling
- Winner of 1992 WCW Jesse "The Body" Ventura Strongest Arm Tournament
[edit] Personal information
Hildreth was married to a woman named Georgia Mason on January 24, 1992 and divorced on March 1, 1996. Hildreth is now married to Rebecca Malher since June 7, 2002 and together they have 2 children.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Bio at IMDb
