8 Awesome Wrestling Stars You've Never Even Heard Of
8. Austin Idol
Nicknamed The Universal Heartthrob, Austin Idol was one of the best ever workers in the Memphis territory, playing the bleached-blond playboy archetype. An all-time great promo guy, with a killer look and a great physique, Idol hadn't always worked under the stud character.
Under his own name of Iron Mike McCord, he'd been around a hundred pounds of muscle heavier, working with a powerlifter gimmick. A significant, promising heavyweight talent, McCord had been involved in the Tampa, Florida plane crash that took the life of Bobby Shane in 1975. He'd spent some time recovering from two broken ankles, and when he returned to the sport hed developed a fear of flying. Entirely understandably, given what hed been through.
That meant that the newly christened Austin Idol would stay local. He most famously feuded with Jerry the King Lawler (as a heel) and the Road Warriors (as a babyface).
Idol could do it all. By 1990 he'd mostly retired, working the occasional show until quitting the business completely by 1998. One of the most extraordinarily talented American workers never to work for Vince McMahon Jr.s WWF, Austin Idol's promo style became incredibly influential over the years, and you can see a little Idol in many of the biggest stars of the 1990s and beyond.