6.13.2011

#47: Typhoon

Real Name: Fred Ottman
Other Aliases: Tugboat, The Shockmaster
Biggest Fan: Barry M. Reardon

Fred Ottman debuted in the WWF as Tugboat in 1990. An enormous super-heavyweight, Tugboat was quickly recruited into an alliance with the immortal Hulk Hogan in his ongoing battle with the 451-pound Canadian Earthquake and Dino Bravo. Tugboat enjoyed a stretch of remarkable successes in the ring during this period, but he soon developed a bad attitude and ultimately ended up aligning himself with Earthquake. This tag team, known as the Natural Disasters and managed by Jimmy Hart, tipped the scales at 852 pounds!

Typhoon, as he was now called, enjoyed great success again during this tag team period. The duo was quite fearsome, and they eventually defeated the legendary tag team, Money Inc., for the WWF Tag Team Titles. Unfortunately, the team disbanded in 1993 and Typhoon departed the World Wrestling Federation.

On August 18, 1993, at WCW's Clash of the Champions event, Sting, Dustin Rhodes and Davey Boy Smith were trying to solve a conundrum. They were supposed to engage in an eight-man tag team match against Sid Vicious, Big Van Vader and the Harlem Heat at the upcoming Fall Brawl pay-per-view, but Road Warrior Hawk was unable to participate as the fourth member of their team. Cue The Shockmaster! In the most ridiculous moment in an industry known for ridiculous moments, Fred Ottman burst upon the scene during an interview segment, donning a silver, sparkly Stormtrooper helmet and possessing some kind of weird powers to manipulate electricity, or something? I doubt we'll ever really know what amazing heights The Shockmaster might have reached, but I like to think that if not for a single misstep on A Flair For The Gold, this superstar might have been #1 instead of #47.

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