Adam was called from Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He was introduced as a long time “pen pal” of the Von Erichs, specifically Kevin. The truth is that Christopher Adams is a trained Judo teacher who was trained by several wrestlers in his native England, including the legendary Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith and Dave “Fit” Finlay.
Ancient experiences in wrestling:
Adams, after learning from British legends, went to Los Angeles region to Los Angeles moved to study under Mike and Gene LeBell. The territory in Los Angeles was last time associated with Adams. Adams won all the titles in the arena before the company folded.
After Los Angeles, Adams moved north to Portland, Oregon Territory. During this time in his career, Adams struck up friendships with Matt (Os) Borne, Jesse Barr (Jimmy Jack Funk) and “Iceman” Rex Parsons. These friendships would last the rest of Adam’s life.
During this time, Adams traded extensively in Asia, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. While in Mexico, Adams actually won the WWWF (WWE) Light Heavyweight title. Despite the reign being ignored by WWE, Adams held the title for two months.
Orbs of the world:
In early 1983, Dallas promoter Jack Adkisson (Fritz Von Erich) contacted Adams about relocating to the Dallas area. Many other Portland stars: Parsons, Borne, Grappler, etc. Adams was brought into the territory in April 1983 and introduced in a series of interviews with legendary announcer Bill Mercer. The two discussed Adams’ background while enjoying “high tea.” Adams, Von Erich’s partner, is almost as big as the big country heroes cheered.
Adams was thrown into several feuds with “Von Erich”. To fight the Freeaves, Skandar Akbar’s destruction of Inc., Gary Hart and his stable etc. he was ready to fight.
During the fall of 1984, Adams shocked many of his fans by aligning himself with his manager, Gary Hart. Fritz finds himself with a bit of a problem on his hands. Adams must have been immediately blasted by fans for his partnership with Hart. Most fans continued to cheer Adams. Many urged him to break away from the Von Erichs. Fritz Adams took it to a new level of brutality, attacking Kevin Von Erich with a wooden chair. The chair was smashed over Kevin’s head, causing a severe gash in Kevin’s head and a nasty concussion. A few weeks later, Kevin Adams used the chair. When the second chair broke, Adams almost lost an eye from a wooden razor. Both Adams and Kevin refused to do the chair anymore, and the corner was rebuilt.
Chris Adams teamed up with one of the hottest young stars of the season, Gino Hernandez. They took the name of two, two dynamics. They fought all over the territory, especially the Von Erichs. Adams began to carry a large ring of scissors, the hair of his opponents in a clip. This gimmick would be embraced by Brutus Beefcake a few years later. The pinnacle of the hair angle came in October of 1985, when Kevin and Kerry Von Erich Hernandez and Adams faced off in a hair double at the Cotton Ball. The loss from Adams and Hernandez drove a wedge into the team. There are enmities. At the start of the brutal feud, Hernandez threw hair removal cream into Adam’s eyes to blind him. Adams had been looking for some time to visit friends and family in England before Hernandez vs. Adams. While Adams was in England, Hernandez was found dead from a cocaine overdose. Adams was questioned by police in the states and England to see if he was involved in the death. Hernandez’s death was initially listed as a possible homicide.
After the situation with Hernandez was finally cleared, Adams returned to fight against Rick Rude. It has also expanded its base of operations to include the San Antonio area.
Move:
In 1987, Adams accepted an offer from Bill Watts to join the Mid-South promotion, now named the Universal Wrestling Federation. Watts sent Adams to various states throughout the South, including Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. Adams began to focus on training in various institutions. Since 1988, Adams has gone into semi-retirement, returning to Dallas for his academic training.
You cannot return home:
By 1988, the territory of the World Class had begun to dissolve. Fritz sold the company to Jerry Jarrett. The World Class name has been replaced by the USWA brand. The USWA was doomed because Jarrett refused to compete against the production values of Vince McMahon. Adam remained with the company until the end.
After the death of the USWA, Joe Pedicino took over the field with the Global Wrestling Federation. Adams was set up as a cornerback for the team. The company folded due to legal pressure from McMahon’s company. McMahon argued that the GWF was a precedent for copyright infringement in the WWF. Since the situation was absurd, Pedicino could not commit the battle.
Adams then spent some time in various leagues to complete his wrestling career. In 1998 and 1999 Adams claimed his British in heritage in the world wrestling, through the teams Mr. Steven ( William) Regal and Dave Taylor as a member of Blue Bloods. Adams unfortunately fell into WCW’s over-populated mid-card section. Adams eventually asked for his release and returned to Texas. Adams continued to train wrestlers and assist in video production for World Class tribute programs.
On personal struggles and death:
Chris Adams was married three times. Two out of three end in divorce. Adams first married Jeannie Clark. Clark would leave Adams to protect Adams to marry, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Adam’s second wife was Toni Adams. She eventually left Toni Adams, in part because of Adams’ problems with drugs and alcohol. Karen Adams married Chris just two months before his death in 2001.
Drugs and alcohol are leading to many runners with the law. In 1986, Adams was arrested and convicted of assaulting an airline pilot. Adams was hit with a $500 fine and a 90-day jail sentence. In 1991, Adams spent a year in prison for assault. Adams has also been booked for DUI on numerous occasions. In April 2000, Adams and his then-girlfriend Linda Kaphengst were found unconscious from a drug overdose. Linda died, and Christopher suffered serious complications. Adams was convicted of manslaughter in Linda’s death. He was imprisoned for up to 20 years. He did not live long enough to serve his time.
On October 7, 2001, Adams visited a friend in Waxahachie, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. In a drunken state, Adams and his “friend” got into an argument. The “friend” pulled a gun and shot Adams in the chest. Adams died later that day at a local hospital.
Influences:
Adams was one of the first wrestlers to use the “Sharpshooter” as a finisher. In 1985, Adams played his “Superlock” finisher. While he didn’t use it for long, he coached Steve “Sting” Borden when they both worked in the UWF.
Adams’ list of people that Adams helped train is awesome: John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Sting, Scott Hall, Booker T, Steve Austin, “Patriot” Del Wilkes, ‘Kishi, Paul Diamond and Shawn Michaels. Adams is credited as the man who taught Michaels the Superkick/Sweet Chin Music.
While Adams lived a destructive life that ultimately led to his early death, his positive influence will be felt for generations to come. Now that Adam had learned, he began to train others. Adams could be considered as one of the grandfathers of this age. He totally deserves the title Legends of Yesterday.
