Nowadays, people criticise WWE for wanting most wrestlers to have 'real' sounding names, but younger fans should thank their lucky stars that they weren't around to witness the time period when the company wanted their wrestlers to have 'real' sounding jobs. Apparently, being a professional wrestler wasn't quite enough, and the guys and gals of the federation had to have an alternate career path. Enter Bob Holly, who would later become Hardcore Holly, a fine addition to the promotion's mid-card scene. Before all that, Holly portrayed the delightfully named Thurman 'Sparky' Plugg, a race car driver who had transitioned over into wrestling. Quite how this was supposed to excite fans into paying to see the man wrestle was never explained. Even if Vince McMahon and his team had really wanted a racer-turned-wrestler gimmick, why on earth did they choose the name 'Thurman'? It's perhaps one of the least-inspiring monikers any performer could have, and set Holly out on an auspicious start, one he had to work hard to recover from.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
