He and Mysterio formed an alliance with Master P and his No Limit Soldiers and fought with The West Texas Rednecks. On October 7, 2011, Konnan and Nicho el Millonario, wrestling as La Sociedad lost by DQ to El Mesias and Extreme Tiger in an event for Promociones MV held at the Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez Moreno in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Twitter account for this issue. He had set a goal to qualify for the Junior Olympics in boxing, but he injured his shoulder in training, and was then deployed to the Middle East subsequent to the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut on April 18, 1983. The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren. He also wrestled a tag match teamed with Norman Smiley for MXPW in September 2003. [15], While still part of WCW, Konnan was contacted by talent scout Pat Patterson on New Year's Eve 1990, which led to a meeting with Vince McMahon, where the initial idea for what became Max Moon was discussed. Konnan would not return to the promotion until 1996. [12], After basic training, Carlos was relocated to San Diego, and assigned to a destroyer in the Pacific Fleet – the USS Cape Cod (AD-43). Despite having left TNA in June 2007, Konnan did not wrestle for AAA until October, and only wrestled in four matches during the remainder of the year, due to his aforementioned surgeries. Konnan then defeated The Convict at High Impact Wrestling's HIW Summer Invasion 2012 at Treaty Grounds in La Loche, Saskatchewan, Canada on August 23, 2012. Konnan is known to be outspoken, and in the last decade, he has been openly critical of promotions that he feels have mistreated either him personally or the talent in general. [5] He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Impact Wrestling. [15], The next day, when he appeared at a WWF Superstars taping in Worcester, Massachusetts against The Mercenary, he was renamed El Relámpago. In 1992, Konnan, along with several other EMLL wrestlers, joined Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). Will Conan avenge his parents? Conan is a pre-teen among a small tribe of warriors. Looking for something to watch? Following the sale of WCW, Konnan returned to wrestling for multiple independent promotions. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. [15], On July 14, 2004, the 3Live Kru, Dusty Rhodes and Larry Zbyszko defeated Jarrett, Ken Shamrock and the Elite Guard in a ten-man tag team match. Even today, a lot of films are not quite as violent as this offering. Chained to the perpetual Wheel of Pain, the helpless boy grows into a man, and after years of rigorous training as a fierce gladiator, Conan, now an unstoppable mountain of muscle, regains his precious freedom. That same month, Konnan became the TNA Impact! The Kru, apparently undivided, celebrated together following the match. He wrestled Steele again on November 24, 2001 in a "Loser Leaves XPW" match at XPW Revolution at Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. On December 14, 2018, Konnan challenged Low Ki in a no-disqualification match for his championship, in a losing effort. 131 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, The Border Patrol (Agent Gunn and Agent Maxx), Team Extreme (Khris Germany and Kit Carson), Disturbing Behavior (Jeff Daniels and Tim Renesto), The Usual Suspects (A.J. Konnan returned to World Wrestling Council at WWC Euphoria Tour 2008 on January 6, 2008, with Ron Killings of the 3LiveKru, losing a tag team match against Eddy and Orlando Colon. [2] At WCW's final pay-per-view event, Greed on March 18, 2001, Lance Storm and Mike Awesome (representing Team Canada) defeated Hugh Morrus and Konnan. 25 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the, Ranked No. As he was becoming more popular in Mexico, he was not as focused on making it in America. In 1991, EMLL changed its name officially to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). See them driven before you. He has also worked as a manager, color commentator, booker, and creative consultant, primarily for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He won the California state (amateur) Middleweight Boxing Championship in 1983. (Legend has it the producer, Dino de Laurentiis, initially refused Milius' first choice for the lead, Schwarzenegger. May 2006 was very busy for Konnan. Set free, he plots revenge against Thulsa Doom. Konnan developed an increasingly hip-hop based gimmick and was nicknamed "K-Dogg." [50] In the first season, he appeared as the manager of Prince Puma and claimed responsibility for bringing Fénix, Pentagón Jr. and Drago into the promotion. The two teams faced one another in a No Surrender rematch on August 14, 2005 at Sacrifice, with James appointed guest referee by Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko, and James reaffirmed his loyalty to the Kru by attacking Kip, enabling Konnan to pin him and win the match. After Master P left WCW, Konnan formed a stable known as The Filthy Animals. Konnan made his WWF debut on September 1, 1992 in Hershey, Pennsylvania during a Superstars taping under the name The Comet Kid when he pinned Barry Horowitz. During a career spanning almost three decades, he has wrestled for independent and national promotions in the United States and Mexico, and held fifteen title belts in nine promotions. Eventually he escapes and becomes a thief, but decides to track down Thulsa Doom and his strange religious order in which snakes are worshiped. [15][30], Several months after losing the United States Championship, Konnan became a villain and joined The Dungeon of Doom. Conan el Bárbaro. [15][note 3], Konnan's first stint with World Championship Wrestling lasted only a few weeks. He would defeat Spicolli again one night later at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Reno. Konnan and Kidman defeated Harlem Heat for the title the next night on Nitro,[2] but lost to Harris Brothers (Ron and Don Harris) on November 22, 1999.[33]. In Impact he was formerly the manager of The Latin American Xchange (LAX) and currently serves as a member of the creative team. [44] However, he instead moved on to other duties. He writes, "Carlos was promoted as El Centurion and The Incredible Hulk and worked his way up the cards quickly. Still, the wrestlers asked Carlos, want to give it a try? Konnan introduced himself and explained how he was brought here by his manager/agent, John Roberts. Harlem Heat regained the title after Stevie Ray pinned Morrus. [2] The Wolfpac feuded with nWo Hollywood, led by Hollywood Hogan and became tweeners. Putting him with us, he just lost all the steam he had. He first went to Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), where he took part in a tournament for the then-vacant XPW Television title on August 25, 2001. Marvel Female Versions of Male Superheroes, Nostalgia Critic: Suburban Knights: Part VII. Was this review helpful to you? He chose the latter, joining the United States Navy. The Hyborean Age is a cross between the Dark Ages and Antiquity. Born in Santiago, Cuba[2] of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Konnan was teamed with Rikishi and lost to Cibernetico and La Parka by disqualification. On November 26, the Kru defeated Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger and Glenn Gilberti in a six-man tag team match with the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championships on the line. As a result, he became a face and teamed with Misterio to fight the nWo. Beyond the mists of time, having witnessed the brutal death of his blacksmith father and the massacre of the entire village by the murderous followers of Thulsa Doom, the undead evil wizard and servant of the serpent-god, Set, Conan, the orphaned young Cimmerian, is condemned to a life of slavery. James brought Kip James and the 3Live Kru to ringside, then asked Killings and Konnan whether James could join the stable. Beyond the mists of time, having witnessed the brutal death of his blacksmith father and the massacre of the entire village by the murderous followers of Thulsa Doom, the undead evil wizard and servant of the serpent-god, Set, Conan, the orphaned young Cimmerian, is condemned to a life of slavery. [2] The title was then contested in a three-way tag match pitting Konnan and Billy Kidman, representing the Filthy Animals, against Harlem Heat and the First Family (Hugh Morrus and Brian Knobs). A physically perfect but innocent man goes in search of his long-lost twin brother, who is short, a womanizer, and small-time crook. He also created The 3Live Kru for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in the early 2000s and later the Latin American Xchange (LAX) stable there as well. [38] Konnan gave several interviews about the drug abuse problem in pro wrestling around that time, most notably to the New York Daily News, which indicated that Konnan believed his "hip degenerated after years of steroid abuse and the physical toll of his sport, and...painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs ruined [his] kidney. Dissension arose after James's former tag team partner from the WWF, Billy Gunn, joined TNA as "The New Age Outlaw" and began trying to convince James to reform their highly successful tag team, the New Age Outlaws. Ashenoff returned to San Diego, and received an honorable discharge. A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars. Their reign lasted one month, with Team Canada regaining the title on December 5, 2004 at Turning Point with the help of the injured Johnny Devine.[35]. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. He and his clients engaged in a feud with MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki. Throughout early 2005, the Kru feuded with Michael Shane and Kazarian, Team Canada and The Naturals. [15], On February 3, 2013, Konnan was (in-storyline) fired from AAA. The match was eventually won by The Godfather. Konnan won the match. A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States. He told Stephen Dean Johnson of SLAM! At one point he was referred to as "The Mexican Hulk Hogan" for breaking attendance records across the country,[10] and Konnan still holds the all-time attendance record in Mexico City as well as cities including Tijuana, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Torreon, Hermosillo and Nuevo Laredo. Probably the saving force is the incredible acting of James Earl Jones which makes up for the weaknesses of some of the other talent. He learned how to drive at 12, learned to box and was an "avid weightlifter". Conan the Barbarian Konnan and Killings became increasingly frustrated, at one point referring to themselves as the "2Live Kru". [13], Billed as El Centurión ("The Centurion"), Ashenoff debuted for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) on January 6, 1988. and Kip James. ", "Konnan talks about Hogan, Luger, Bischoff, Nash", "TripleMania: Mexico's answer to WrestleMania", "WCW United States Heavyweight Title history / Americas title history", "Inside the Dungeon of Doom: Kevin Sullivan on wrestling's wackiest group", "WWC - World Wrestling Council (Puerto Rico) World Heavyweight/Universal Heavyweight Title July 21, 1982 - Present", Viva la Lucha!!! The Best TV Shows About Being in Your 30s, Turanian War Officer The resulting film is loosely based on several of Howard's original stories, although the slavery sequence towards the beginning is not the original history of the character. [21] The Moon character, created by Konnan,[22] was that of a cyborg from "The Future" or "Outer Space". After Howard's death in 1936, other writers would not only try their hand at Conan, such as L. Sprague de Camp, but rip-off characters would also appear on the fantasy literature landscape, such as Kane by Karl Edward Wagner.Fast-forward about 45 years after Howard's death. During his first stint in the nWo, Konnan feuded with the Luchadores whom he had brought to WCW. During his first stint in the nWo, Konnan feuded with the Luchadores whom he had brought to WCW. Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), writer of pulp genre fiction in the late 1920's to early 1930's, had a vision or dream of a Celtic-Barbarian warrior. The championship was held by all three members of the Kru,[2] until January 28, 2004, when they were defeated by Kevin Northcutt and Legend in Nashville. At Final Resolution on January 15, 2006, Konnan and Homicide defeated The Naturals. Cover Date: April 2020. At Lockdown on April 23, 2006, Konnan was defeated by Armstrong in an arm wrestling contest held within the confines of a steel cage; following the bout, each member of the LAX received ten lashes from the James Gang.[36]. He was forced into it." On January 23, 2019 it was revealed that Konnan would now be working as a member of the creative team for Impact Wrestling.[55]. He then went to Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling, where he lost another heavyweight title match; this time against Simon Diamond for the MXPW Heavyweight Title on August 12, 2002. Soon after landing in Boston, she met a young half-Jewish, half-Puerto Rican private investigator from New York named Richard Ashenoff. After meeting Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) booker Paul Heyman while on a wrestling tour of Singapore, Konnan joined ECW in 1995 and feuded with The Sandman. [15] Konnan finally won the title by defeating Colón on November 2, 2002,[5] only to lose the title back to Colón 21 days later. He is best known to United States audiences for his run in World Championship Wrestling as part of the nWo stable and as part of The Filthy Animals. He would win two further matches against Gangrel during his time at the promotion, but his singles record was generally poor: he lost in the first round of the WWA Heavyweight Championship title in a dog collar match against Road Dogg on October 26, 2001, and lost three tables matches against Norman Smiley on December 8, 9, and 11, 2001. The look of the film on Blu-ray is no less than spectacular. [16] He then won a televised match on WCW Power Hour against Chuck Coates on January 19, 1991. I was able to capitalize on that wrestling boom. Hear the lamentations of their women," uttered by Conan towards the beginning still sounds funny come out of Schwarzenegger's mouth but somehow it kind of works. [2] He also wrestled at an event co-promoted by ECW and the AAA in Chicago, Illinois. Issue Number: 7. [34], Returning to World Wrestling All-Stars in November and December 2002, Konnan defeated Norman Smiley twice in singles matches on November 28 and 29, 2002, and won in three minutes against Nate Webb on December 6, 2002, at WWA The Retribution in Glasgow. Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),[1][9] better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestling personality, manager and former professional wrestler. In that same interview, he teased the then-upcoming deal that would lead to Lucha Underground. A Witness Protection specialist becomes suspicious of his co-workers when dealing with a case involving high-tech weapons. on June 9, 1991 by disqualification. But, with the image of the blood-soaked raid etched on his mind, Conan teams up with Subotai, the Hyrkanian thief, and Valeria, the Queen of the Bandits, and embarks on a peril-laden journey to the mysterious Mountain of Power, and the impregnable Snake Cult Temple. Later, he becomes a gladiator-like warrior, engaged in combat entertainments. Its the most quoted line from the film.One of the striking aspects of this film, after having seen it for the first time in over 20 years, is that the violence is relatively head-turning. He stated that “Unfortunately there has never been lucha libre in the South Bay, there has never been lucha libre for la raza. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. [15] From March 2005 onwards, Konnan was also feuding with Vampiro and La Parka in AAA. While with TNA, Konnan also returned to Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, making his first appearance at AAA Sin Limite - Guerra De Titanes 2004 on May 12, 2004. Thulsa Doom and his minions kill the men and women of the village, and enslave the children, who are taken to a remote compound where Conan grows up working on some kind of large mill, "The Wheel of Pain". A young boy, Conan, becomes a slave after his parents are killed and tribe destroyed by a savage warlord and sorcerer, Thulsa Doom. Universal released "Conan: The Barbarian", directed by John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, based on the original character created by Robert E. Howard. [2] He eventually became the AAA booker. [52] He then levelled several accusations at AAA regarding non-payment of talent. He entered the Gauntlet for the Gold match for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship,[2] but he was chokeslammed and subsequently eliminated by Malice. After making his debut for UWA, Konnan wrestled for the UWA Heavyweight title against El Canek at UWA 14 on January 29, 1989, and wrestled six- and eight-man tag matches intermittently for the promotion until 1994, with the likes of Dos Caras, Mascara Sagrada, and others. [15] He lost yet another title match upon returning to World Wrestling Council, losing by disqualification to Carly Colón in a match for the Universal Heavyweight title at WWC 29th Aniversario on September 14, 2002. James and Ron Killings, and in July 2003 the trio formed a heroic alliance known as the 3Live Kru. [51] He was named Crash' Head of creative until December 2017, when he was released. [2][26] Konnan did not comply with the stipulations of the match and returned to defeat Roberts in a hair versus hair match at Triplemanía II on May 27, 1994 in Tijuana. The Kru later feuded with Jarrett's mercenaries, The Elite Guard (Chad Collyer, Hotstuff Hernandez, and Onyx). My favorite scene is one in which Conan, newly liberated, stumbles into a cavern of sorts and meets the figure who will become his "god", Crom, and there finds a sword.Some aspects of the Milius Conan do come off dated. According to Kevin Sullivan (the originator of the stable), speaking in a retrospective interview in July 2016, Konnan "didn’t fit in The Dungeon of Doom. Konnan's team lost the match. The podcast, "Keeping it 100 with Konnan" is co-hosted by Glenn Gilberti (Disco Inferno). By 1967, the family relocated to Carol City in South Florida. In AAA, he made his first appearance with La Legión Extranjera (with Chessman & Ron Killings) on May 1, 2006, losing to El Zorro, Octagon & Vampiro Canadiense at AAA Sin Limite. Konnan also claimed that TNA helped pay for Scott Steiner's operation, but did not pay for Ron Killings's surgery from around the same time. His first match with the promotion was October 19, 2001, where he defeated Gangrel. [15] He wrestled again as El Relámpago the following night against Luis Mendieta.[20]. [18] Konnan returned again on January 7, 1992 at a WWF Superstars taping in Daytona Beach, FL. [2], On the December 31, 2005, episode of Impact!, Konnan told B.G. Konnan recollected, "Wrestling was so hot in Mexico, because they had lifted this 30-year ban on wrestling on TV in Mexico City. United States Heavyweight Champion and Dungeon of Doom (1996–1997), New World Order and World Television Champion (1997–1999), No Limit Soldiers and Filthy Animals (1999–2001), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003–2007), Authentic Luchadores and 3Live Kru (2003–2005), Second return to AAA and independent promotions (2007–2012), Final match and outside-the-ring roles (2013–present), Return to Impact Wrestling (2017–present), Meltzer states that "Konnan El Barbaro" originated in a match subsequent to the Lizmark match, which would appear to show that the name originated with an EMLL event. On March 20, 2015, Konnan was ringside at a show organized by the independent promotion The Crash, in Tijuana, Mexico, when El Hijo del Perro Aguayo died in a freak accident during a match. On March 15, 2009, Konnan lost a Hair vs. [9] By 1984, the Cape Cod was rotated out of the Persian Gulf. He compared asking a luchador to remove their mask to "going to Japan and telling the Japanese they have to eat with a fork instead of chopsticks. Konnan returned to TNA on February 12, 2003 and formed a short-lived villainous alliance, the Authentic Luchadores, with fellow Hispanic wrestlers Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and The S.A.T. Use the HTML below. [2] They were scheduled to defend the titles against Harlem Heat in the MGM Grand Garden Arena on October 24, 1999 at Halloween Havoc, but on the night of the event Mysterio was announced as being injured. His ship was in the Strait of Hormuz when the US Marine barracks (along with the French paratrooper barracks) in Beirut were bombed on October 24, 1983. Twitter. In subsequent weeks, Konnan began feuding with Bob Armstrong. [19] The next day he defeated The Juicer in a dark match at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Fort Myers, Florida. [17] Konnan recollected later that the costs associated with the costume led to problems between himself and the promotion right from the start. He used Konnan El Barbaro with EMLL as well. Konnan also broke the pro wrestling attendance record in Los Angeles when he headlined AAA's first Los Angeles event and the company had a sell-out, turn-away crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. On June 24, 2006, Konnan participated in the first lucha libre event in San Diego. Subsequent to that, Konnan tag-teamed with Smiley against Disco Inferno and Malice for three matches between December 8–13, 2002, and won all three.[15]. [15], Konnan wrestled in Australia, the UK, and Germany for World Wrestling All-Stars from October to December 2001. Konnan developed an increasingly hip-hop based gimmick and was nicknamed "K-Dogg." While with TNA, Konnan also returned to Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, making his first appearance at AAA Sin Limite - Guerra De Titanes 2004 on May 12, 2004. (Spanish Announce Team). Chained to the perpetual Wheel of Pain, the helpless boy grows into a man, and after years of rigorous training as a fierce gladiator, Conan, now an unstoppable mountain of muscle, regains his precious freedom. [60] Konnan became the "first new voice" on the podcast network, which was started by Chris Jericho. Hair match against Vampiro Canadiense. Additionally, he and the LAX began a storyline that saw them refuse to wrestle (as well as himself and Moody Jack refuse to commentate), claiming that Latinos were discriminated against within TNA. [45] Konnan wrestled what appears to be his final match to date on September 15, 2013, in a six-man tag match. [2] In the course of the match, Konnan attacked both B.G. Will Conan avenge his parents? On June 4 in Verano de Escándalo, Konnan returned to the AAA helping Jeff Jarrett win the AAA Mega Championship against Rey Wagner and Rey Mysterio Jr. before being faced by Fénix. [17], Days later he received a tryout on January 7, 1991 at a WWF Superstars taping in Amarillo, Texas defeating Ultraman. [25], Back in AAA, following interference from Jake Roberts, Konnan lost a two out of three falls retirement match by count-out to Caras at Triplemanía I on April 30, 1993 in front of 48,000 fans in Mexico City, setting the all-time attendance record for a Mexican wrestling event. During this storyline, he wrestled in a Mexican Death match at Road Wild against Rey Mysterio, Jr. and a match against Juventud Guerrera at Uncensored in March 1998. Brown and The Outlaw, who had by now renamed himself "Kip James", defeated Konnan and Killings at No Surrender on July 17, 2005, with James declining to help either team. However, the gimmick was already on its way out. In June, Konnan left TNA, as did Ron Killings. The film more or less works on its own terms. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? [17] After a brief run, the character was abandoned. In 1981 (when he graduated a year early from Miami Senior High School), he was arrested and charged as a juvenile with credit card theft and motorcycle theft. [Vince] asked if I knew anybody that could design it." Sullivan also praised Konnan highly: [He's] a fabulous performer and has a great mind for the wrestling business. La Sociedad defeated Charlie Haas, Super Crazy & Tony Wilson at PDM The War at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez Moreno in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They soon married, and raised Carlos together. He brought the luchadors into WCW, so he had a real effect on professional wrestling. [15], Konnan wrestled in a six-man, two out of three falls, tag team match as Konnan El Barbaro ("Konnan the Barbarian") with Lizmark and Yoshihiro Asai against As Charro, Indio Yori & Negro Casas on February 3, 1989 for World Wrestling Association. It was like when Raw and Nitro were going head-to-head and there was work for everybody. [15], After a no-contest match against Sandman on January 12, 2002 at XPW New Year's Revolution 2, Konnan then went to World Wrestling Council, where he won the World Wrestling Council World Tag Team Championship with Carly Colón, defeating Thunder and Lightning on May 26, 2002. Promising, in a promo at the start of the show, to defend his "Mexican Heavyweight Championship" against Psicosis the next week. Violent but occasionally tender, I do think it does justice to Howard.