Rick Bognar

Richard "Rick Titan" Bognar (born January 16, 1970) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known as the second Razor Ramon who debuted in the World Wrestling Federation as a replacement for the original man to use the Ramon gimmick, Scott Hall.^[1]

Wrestling career

Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling

Titan debuted in 1989 in Canadian indies, including the CIWF and the CNWA, and later joined the Japanese Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling promotion in 1991 as Big Titan through Ricky Fuji's connections in Canada. He made his debut on November 20, 1991 while entering into the FMW World Strongest Tag Team Tournament with The Gladiator. He won the World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship on January 15, 1992, defeating Atsushi Onita. Titan's reign lasted just fifteen days before he lost to Tarzan Goto in Osaka on January 30. He was also part of the original Team Canada stable with Ricky Fuji, Dr. Luther, and The Gladiator. He formed a tag team with The Gladiator, and on January 18, 1994, they defeated Atsushi Onita and Katsutoshi Niyama in a tournament final to become the first ever Brass Knuckles Tag Team Champions. Their reign lasted until April 21, 1994, when they lost to Mr. Pogo and Hisakatsu Oya. His last match for the company would be on December 9, 1994 at Korakuen Hall in a loss to The Gladiator.

Wrestle And Romance / Wrestle Association R

He would join Genichiro Tenryu's WAR in 1995. In WAR, he wrestled under the name Ti Do, and he was an ally of Fuyuki-Gun, which consisted of Hiromichi "Kodo" Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado; Lion Do would also join the group.

World Wrestling Federation

In September 1996, play-by-play announcer Jim Ross introduced Rick Titan as "Razor Ramon" and Glenn Jacobs as "Diesel" as part of a storyline mocking the departure of former employees Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, and also as an attempt to turn Ross into a heel. The Jim Ross heel turn proved unpopular and was dropped almost immediately, and despite receiving a WWF Tag Team Championship match against Owen Hart and The British Bulldog at the In Your House 12: It's Time pay-per-view, the gimmick's television lifespan lasted only until the 1997 Royal Rumble, where Bognar was the first one eliminated in the match by Ahmed Johnson. While Jacobs, who was the last wrestler legally eliminated from the Royal Rumble match, was later repackaged as the Undertaker's brother "Kane" and went on to experience considerable success, Bognar's one year contract expired and he left the company. Aside from a brief angle with Steve Williams in 1999, Ross has always remained a face since this gimmick failed.

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Titan returned to Japan, where he joined New Japan Pro Wrestling and became a member of the villainous nWo Japan stable. He ended up injuring his neck in a match against Shinya Hashimoto on February 15, 1998 at the Nippon Budokan Hall. Although he wrestled a couple of more tours after his neck injury, he never felt the same afterwards and wrestled his last match on April 23, 1999 at the Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan when he teamed with Keiji Muto and Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeating Tatsumi Fujinami, Manabu Nakanishi and Osamu Nishimura.

Semi-retirement

In 2001, he opened a professional wrestling school in his hometown of Calgary with Bad News Brown. He ran the school until late 2003.

2013 Interview

In an interview with the Calgary Journal, Bognar talked about his fake Razor Ramon character during his stint with the WWF. In mid-1996, Vince McMahon sought a wrestler to portray Scott Hall's former character. "Rick, I hear you do a great Razor Ramon," company chief Vince McMahon told him over the phone. "I own the trademark to the name, the costume and the character. Rick, I want you to be my new Razor Ramon." On September 23, 1996, in one of the strangest segments in RAW history, a disgruntled Jim Ross re-introduced the world to Jacobs—Bognar as 'Razor Ramon' and 'Diesel.' Jim Ross' heel turn proved unpopular and by January 1997, the impostor wrestlers had disappeared from television. Bogner was the first wrestler to be eliminated from the 1997 Royal Rumble match. When Bognar's contract with the WWF expired, he placed a call to McMahon to discuss renewing it. Bognar had hardly gotten a sentence out when Vince interrupted. "Rick, please don't call me at this number again," McMahon said before promptly hanging up.

Bognar had enjoyed working with the WWF and wanted to further his career in the same way Glenn Jacobs had successfully transitioned from being the unpopular Diesel to the highly successful 'Kane.' Bognar believed that he too could change from being the unpopular Razor Ramon to becoming a successful wrestler under a different gimmick. Bognar was never given that chance.^[2]

Acting career

Titan appeared in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show episode "Honey, Meet the Barbarians" as the "Meanest Barbarian" on February 6, 1998.^[3]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves

• Exploder suplex^[1]
• Razor's Edge (Crucifix powerbomb)

• Signature moves

• Abdominal stretch, sometimes transitioned into a slam
• Chokeslam
• Frankensteiner
• Gutwrench powerbomb^[1]
• Slingshot crossbody

• Nicknames

• "The Free Spirit"^[1]

Championships and accomplishments

• Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling

• CRMW International Championship (2 times)^[1]

• Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling

• FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[1]
• FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Gladiator^[1]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI ranked him #124 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1995^[4]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Worst Gimmick (1996) as Fake Razor Ramon

References

External links

• Official website
• Rick Bognar at the Internet Movie Database