Michael Kirchner
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| Michael Kirchner | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | R.T. Reynolds Cpl. Kirchner Super Leather Leather Face |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (115 kg) |
| Born | September 7, 1957 Chicago, Illinois |
| Debut | 1985 |
| Retired | 2002 |
Michael Kirchner (born September 7, 1957) is a former professional wrestler who is most remembered for his characters Corporal Kirchner (in the WWF) and Leatherface (in various Japanese promotions).
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[edit] World Wrestling Federation
Early in his career he was known as Corporal Kirchner. He is known in North America for his brief feud with Nikolai Volkoff in the WWF in 1986 which included a victory over Volkoff at WrestleMania 2 in a Flag Match. He was considered one of the toughest men in the WWF at the time and his career suffered because many wrestlers were afraid to to work with him. He was suspended by the WWF for testing positive for drug use in 1987. When his suspension was up, he declined to return.[1] Kirchner is well remembered among children of the 1980s due to his inclusion in the WWF Wrestling Superstars action figure line by LJN. His figure had three variations which included clean shaven, stubble, and full-bearded versions.
In 2001, Kirchner was announced as a participant in the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. The WWF went as far as to picture him in a graphic on WWF.com promoting the match, yet Kirchner was removed weeks before the event.
In 2005, ECWA Super 8 Tournament finalist Andrew Ryker said Kirchner was his inspiration for getting into the wrestling business.
[edit] Japan
Following his dismissal from the WWF, he made a successful wrestling career for himself in Japan, using the Super Leather and Leatherface gimmicks.
His career in Japan was as the masked Leatherface, utilizing the mask and character of the villain of the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He originally wrestled for Atsushi Onita's FMW promotion and was considered by many to be the toughest hardcore wrestler in FMW. However, he landed himself in jail for six months following an attempted assault by a fan, which left the fan with severe facial injuries. During his brief time in jail, the Leatherface character which Kirchner created was given to another wrestler, Rick Patterson, who eventually left FMW and went to IWA. During a subsequent Leatherface (Patterson) match in IWA, the original Leatherface (Kirchner) appeared in the crowd.
This set up the team of the Leatherfaces, which lasted only one match and was intended as a transition of the character away from Patterson. On December 13, 1994, the Leatherfaces faced two popular wrestlers, Shoji Nakamaki and Hiroshi Ono in a Double Hell Deathmatch where a Bed of Nails was used. In a match that would become legendary among hardcore wrestling fans, Kirchner broke kayfabe post-match, ripped off a piece of the bed of nails and placed it on Ono's throat, before performing a leg-drop. He then powerbombed Ono onto the bed of nails. Kirchner afterward left the promotion. After his departure, the promotion claimed that he was fired in an attempt to salvage Ono's destroyed reputation.
Kirchner returned to FMW in the late 1990's. Using The "Super Leather" gimmick, he formed a tag team with "The Visonary" Chris Romero. The team got wins over teams like Jado and Gedo, and Masato Tanaka and Iko Kuroda.
[edit] False Death Report
Kirchner was reported dead on October 15, 2006 by WWE. However, on October 21, it was announced that he was still alive. His real name is Michael Kirchner, not Thomas Spear. There was a Thomas Spear who died in White Marsh, Maryland, but he is completely unconnected to Michael Kirchner. [2] Dave Meltzer, of the Wrestling Observer, believes that Mr. Spear may have claimed to be the wrestler to impress people.
[edit] Independent Wrestling
On March 24, 2007 Kirchner revived his "Super Leather" persona for his first match since 2002. In this match "Super Leather" wrestled against former ECW and NWA Champion Raven, at the former ECW Arena for an independent wrestling company called "Wicked Hanuman".
Most recently, the Leatherface gimmick has been used again in a full blown JCW Tour for Insane Clown Posse's Tempest Release Party. He can be seen with his tag team partner Jayson Vorheese on Slam TV! New episodes are found every Saturday at 7 PM at insaneclownposse.com
