Bulldog Brower
American professional wrestler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard T. Gland (September 17, 1933 â September 15, 1997), better known by his ring name Dick "Bulldog" Brower, was an American professional wrestler.
Gland, circa 1979 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard T. Gland[1] September 17, 1933[2] |
| Died | September 15, 1997 (aged 63)[3] |
Spouse | Susan Gland (his death)[1] |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bulldog Brower Delaware Destroyer Dick Brower The Gestapo |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (120 kg; 19 st) |
| Debut | 1958[3] |
| Retired | 1988[3] |
Early life
Gland served in the U.S. Marines and frequently visited his local YMCA.[4][5] He got into powerlifting after graduating from Wilmington High School in 1952.[1] However, Gland dropped out of chiropractic school to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.[3]
Professional wrestling career
Gland started his career in the Delaware territory in 1958 under the ring name the Delaware Destroyer,[3][6] however, other sources state that his debut was in 1960.[4][7] Brower, at one point, wrestled Terrible Ted and hit Haystacks Calhoun with a body slam.[7] In 1961, Brower traveled to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart in his promotion Stampede Wrestling.[3][6] Hart claimed that Brower wrestled Whipper Billy Watson over 500 times.[5] After his run in Stampede, Brower wrestled for Frank Tunney in Toronto from 1961 to 1974.[2] There, Brower won the NWA International Tag Team Championship five times,[8] including with Sweet Daddy Siki in 1962, and Johnny Valentine in February 1963.[4] He also worked for other promotions including the American Wrestling Association, NWA St. Louis, Big Time Wrestling in Detroit, and All-Star Wrestling in Montreal.
In 1966, Brower got a call from Vincent J. McMahon to be a heel in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. He enjoyed a lengthy feud with WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino, whom he main evented shows with over the next few years.[7][9] He also feuded with Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund, who, in his book Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion, described Brower as the least favorite man he ever had to wrestle for the championship.[10]
Brower also wrestled for the National Wrestling Federation (NWF), where he won the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship in 1970.[11] He went on to wrestle for World Championship Wrestling in Australia, where he won the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship in 1972,[12] as well as the short-lived International Wrestling Association in the New York City area.[5]
Brower returned to the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1979 to 1982, where he was managed by Lou Albano.[4][7] He then traveled to Puerto Rico, where he competed for the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He and Luke Graham won their version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship,[13] before Brower retired from professional wrestling in 1988.[3][2][7]
Death
While with his son Richie, Gland fell and broke a hip, and was later found to have an infection in his chest.[5] After living with diabetes and going into a coma, Gland died on September 15, 1997, at the age of 63.[5][3][1] At the time of his death, Gland was divorced from Susan and had two daughters and a son, as well as four grandchildren.[1][6]
Championships and accomplishments
- International Wrestling Association
- IWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[14]
- IWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) â with Mighty Igor (1) and Johnny Powers (1)[14]
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) (5 times) â with Sweet Daddy Siki (1), Johnny Valentine (1), Dr. Jerry Graham (1), and Whipper Billy Watson (2)[8]
- National Wrestling Federation
- World Class Championship Wrestling
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- World Wrestling Council
