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Bob Sweetan

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Bob Sweetan
Sweetan, circa 1983
Birth nameRobert Beier
Born(1940-07-04)July 4, 1940
Goodsoil, Saskatchewan, Canada[1]
DiedFebruary 10, 2017(2017-02-10) (aged 76)
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bob Sweetan
KO Kox[2]
Mister Pile Driver[2]
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight271 lb (123 kg)
Trained byStu Hart[1]
Debut1966 (Kansas City)[2]
Retired1985

Robert Carson (born Robert Beier; July 4, 1940 – February 10, 2017[1]), better known by his ring name Bob Sweetan, was a Canadian professional wrestler.[1] Sweetan was nicknamed "Bruiser" and "Mr. Piledriver", the latter in reference to his finishing maneuver.

Early years

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Beier was born on a farm near Goodsoil, Saskatchewan, about four hours north of Saskatoon. He played briefly with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, and, after a period of traveling, settled in Calgary, the home of Stu Hart and his Stampede Wrestling promotion. Beier was introduced to pro wrestling by Gerd Topsnik, a door-to-door cookware salesman who wrestled part-time for Hart. Beier recalled: "I told [Topsnik], 'All right, I'll buy your pots and pans if you get me started in wrestling.' He started taking me to Stu's." It is unclear when Beier changed his legal surname to Carson.[1]

Professional wrestling career

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Sweetan held numerous titles over his career. He enjoyed some success with the National Wrestling Alliance and wrestled with Freddie Prosser who went under the name Freddie Sweetan in Canada for Stampede Wrestling. Sweetan and Terry Gibbs defeated Fabulous Freebirds for the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship.[3] He also wrestled for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. In the WWC he defeated King Tonga for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.[4] Sweetan was in the first ever WWC Aniversario. He played himself in the movie The Wrestling Queen in 1975.

Sweetan wrestled many notable wrestlers during his career such as Rufus R. Jones, Buzz Tyler, Randy Rose, Ted DiBiase, Bill Watts, Frank Hoy, Butch Reed, Adrian Adonis, Tully Blanchard, and Jesse Ventura. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams described him as a "very, very tough man."[5] Sweetan was known for causing riots in arenas due to his heel antics, and was an influence on Shawn Michaels.[1]

Post-wrestling work

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Following his pro wrestling career, Sweetan worked as an air conditioning maintenance supervisor, particularly in large apartment buildings.[1]

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In 1990, Sweetan was convicted of the sexual assault of his daughter, Candace. He also faced a separate charge of non-payment of child support.[1] Sweetan stopped checking in with police in 2000, after which he was located and deported back to his native Canada.[6]

Criticism

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On WWE's Legends of Wrestling in 2009, longtime industry personality Jim Ross stated that he "didn't like" Sweetan and "didn't want to be around him", describing him as a "miserable human being".[7] Ross later called him a "bully",[8] and told how Danny Hodge once physically tortured Sweetan as payback for being out of line.[1] In his 2012 autobiography, Jim Duggan also referred to Sweetan as a "bully", and a "real piece of garbage".[9] Leo Burke called him "easy to work with" in the ring but "kind of lazy", while Ed "Colonel DeBeers" Wiskoski said of Sweetan: "I wasn't a fan of his... from being a locker-room thief to just among other things, just an asshole."[1]

Sweetan's ex-wife Rebecca commented: "He's a waste of skin as far as I'm concerned... He fried his brain [with drugs], deserted his children, abused them emotionally, physically, sexually, mentally."[1]

Personal life

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Sweetan met an Iowa woman, Rebecca Jane Terhune, at a Kansas City club in 1969 and the couple were married in Los Angeles in 1971. They had four children. Sweetan also had one child to another woman.[1]

Sweetan allegedly deserted his family on October 15, 1985; he had been having an affair with a ring rat who was also a drug dealer. Rebecca divorced Sweetan in 1986.[1]

Death

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Sweetan died at a Nanaimo, British Columbia nursing home on February 10, 2017. He had been suffering from diabetes, memory problems and mobility issues.[1]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "'Bruiser' Bob Sweetan leaves a complicated legacy". SLAM! Wrestling. 24 February 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Bob Sweetan profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "Central States Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  4. ^ a b Duncan, Royal; Gary Will (2006). "(Puerto Rico): WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  5. ^ Williams, Steve (2007). Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1596701809.
  6. ^ Meltzer, Dave (February 24, 2017). "'Bruiser' Bob Sweetan dies at 76 years old". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  7. ^ Legends of Wrestling: Giants. WWE. 2009.
  8. ^ Ross, Jim (March 10, 2014). "Jim Ross: Pro wrestlers won't tolerate those who step out of line in locker room". Fox Sports (via the Internet Archive). New York City: News Corp. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Duggan, Jim; Williams, Scott E. (2012). Hacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-1600786860.
  10. ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(California) San Francisco: United States Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  11. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Central States Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 254. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  12. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Central States Television Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 255–256. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  13. ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(Kansas and Western Missouri) West Missouri: North American Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  14. ^ "NWA North American Tag Team Title (Central States version)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  15. ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(Kansas and Western Missouri) West Missouri: World Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  16. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  17. ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "National Wrestling Alliance Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  18. ^ Hoops, Brian (May 11, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 11): Von Erichs vs. Verne & Don Leo Jonathan, Shane Douglas vs 2 Cold Scorpio". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  19. ^ Duncan, Royal; Gary Will (2006). "(Louisiana & Oklahoma) Louisiana/Oklahoma: US Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 232. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  20. ^ Duncan, Royal; Gary Will (2006). "(Louisiana & Oklahoma) Louisiana/Oklahoma: Mid-South Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  21. ^ Duncan, Royal; Gary Will (2006). "(Texas) San Antonio: Southwest Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  22. ^ Duncan, Royal; Gary Will (2006). "(Texas) San Antonio: Southwest Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  23. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 340–341. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
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