| Robert Brooks | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Robbie Brookside Robby Brookside Rob Brookside |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Billed weight | 241 lb (109 kg) |
| Born | 11 March 1966 Liverpool, England |
| Trained by | Liverpool Olympic Wrestling Club Carl McGrath Bobby Barron |
| Debut | 1984 |
Robert Edward Brooks (born 11 March 1966),[1] better known by his ring name Robbie Brookside, is a British professional wrestler. He has toured all over the world during his career including such countries as the United States, Japan, Germany, and Mexico. He was a regular tag partner of Steve Regal in the United Kingdom and he has competed in the New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual tournament, the Super J in 1997 where he picked up a victory over Chris Jericho.
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Robert Edward Brooks was born in Liverpool on 11 March 1966. His father was a football player, who played a few professional games for Preston North End and chose his son, Robert as the man to carry on his place in the sport. At age 8 Brooks was playing football with people who were 12 years old and by age 9 he was playing in organised leagues for a team named Rockingham.
When Brooks first caught a glimpse of wrestling he was eager to continue watching, however his father hated wrestling and wouldn't let Brooks watch it when at home. Brooks would continue to watch wrestling with any chance he had, and even traveled to Liverpool Stadium for an 8 man knockout wrestling tournament.
Brooks was discovered by Bobby Barren, who invited him to wrestle at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, and Brian Dixon, who got Brooks some jobs on the holiday camps with established wrestlers such as Steve Adonis.
Wrestling as Robbie Brookside, he won his first title after World Heavy-Middleweight Champion "Rollerball" Mark Rocco retired and Brookside won the vacant title in a tournament. The following year, he lost it to Frank 'Chic' Cullen[2]
Brookside then teamed with Doc Dean as The Liverpool Lads, together winning the British Tag Team Championship. Frankie Sloan later teamed with Brookside as The Liverpool Lads in place of Dean.
In 1996, Brookside got the chance to wrestle in Germany for the Catch Wrestling Association through his contact with the group, Dave "Fit" Finlay. From then through to the turn of the century, Brookside could be found wrestling across many promotion in Europe, and won many titles during his travels.
Brookside spent 6 months in America wrestling for World Championship Wrestling, including several matches on Nitro, WCW's main TV shown worldwide.
On 25 April 2005, Brookside had a dark match on World Wrestling Entertainment's 'Raw' during a taping of the show in the UK, losing to Simon Dean. When WWE once again returned to England, Brookside joined other British wrestlers Thunder and Steve Lewington as part of the WWE security squad that helped keep the waring Raw and SmackDown! wrestlers apart.
Brookside continued to wrestle in and around the UK and remained one of the top British wrestlers, winning many of the top titles in the UK. Brookside became the first-ever Real Quality Wrestling Heavyweight Champion on 29 April 2006, defeating former WWE and WCW Superstar Billy Kidman during a match at RQW's A Night Of Champions event. Brookside would later go on to win the Frontier Wrestling Alliance's British Heavyweight Championship at the FWA Summer Classic in a no-DQ elimination three-way match, finally pinning Jonny Storm after then-champion Hade Vansen, who was eliminated first, returned to the ring and hit Storm with his 'South City Driller' finishing move.
Though FWA Champion, Brookside was in fact wrestling under the banner of another promotion, All Star Wrestling. Brookside would remain an All Star wrestler throughout his reign, with various FWA wrestlers trying to take back 'their' championship. During this time, Brookside would vacate his RQW Heavyweight title and leave the promotion. Brookside would also take an interest in the future of the business by going on to train future wrestlers, eventually opening his own Leicester based wrestling school, Wrestleicester, in late 2006.
Brookside appeared on the 23 April 2007 episode of WWE Raw, losing a no disqualification, 3-on-1 handicap match to Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon, and Umaga. Brookside was introduced as a man that Shane McMahon had personally seen take down six men by himself in a fight at a local pub.
Brookside has also had WWE matches against Snitsky and Maven.
Brookside would also wrestle for Alan Ravenhill's Welsh Wrestling in 2008 where he defeated James Mason in a world of sport rules match at Maesteg Town Hall. In February 2008, Brookside won All Star Promotions British Heavyweight Championship for the second time but was forced to vacate the title in May 2009 due to injury.[3]
Now, Brookside teaches students in wrestling in his Leicester-based gym, WrestLeicester.
At A WWE house show in Birmingham England on the 7th Nov 2011, William Regal announced Brookside was in the crowd that without Brookside guidance there would be no William Regal, Sheamus or Wade Barrett.