Wendell Cooley (born April 25, 1961) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, best known as Wildcat Wendell Cooley and sometimes Rick Casey. He appeared in the Southern territories for

Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ...

Continental Championship Wrestling Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama, from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship W ...

Southwest Championship Wrestling Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joe Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company. ...

Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level riv ...

, and

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

. He also is known for teaming with Frankie Lancaster as the Heartbreakers.

Professional wrestling career

Cooley made his professional wrestling debut in 1981. On August 31, 1985, while wrestling for Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling, Cooley teamed with

Al Perez Al Perez (born July 23, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler. He held 16 titles during a 20-year career, including the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship. Professional wrestling career Early career (1982–1985) Perez began wr ...

and defeated the team of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Bruiser

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

for the Mid-South Tag Team Championship. Sweetan was substituting for

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (; born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and color commentator. He is signed to WWE as of 2024, where he works in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship succ ...

while DiBiase was touring Japan. On February 2, 1986, Cooley won his first singles title in Memphis, Tennessee defeating

Dutch Mantel Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestling manager, booker and retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Dutch Mantel (also spelled Dutch Mantell). Since May 2022, Mantell has co-host ...

for the

AWA International Heavyweight Championship The AWA International Heavyweight Championship, originally known as the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship (also identified as the Mid-Southern International Championship and the AWA International Championship) was a major professional ...

. Cooley won a tournament defeating

Jerry Stubbs Jerry Stubbs (born September 13, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. Stubbs wrestled as Mr. Olympia in Bill Watts's Mid-South wrestling area (Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas) and as the heel (professional wrestling), villainous Jer ...

for the vacated

NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship The NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship was created in October, 1962. Since its creation, the championship has been defended in a number of NWA territories throughout the decades. Initially, the title was a part of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestl ...

. He would win the title two more times feuding with Tony Anthony. Cooley was also a member of the

Stud Stable The Stud Stable was a professional wrestling heel stable in Southeast Championship Wrestling, the Continental Wrestling Association, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and Major League Wrestling. History Southeastern Champ ...

in Alabama form 1986 to 1988. On December 28, 1987, Cooley won a Mink Coat Tournament defeating Dutch Mantel in the finals in Birmingham, Alabama for Continental Championship Wrestling. After both

and

in 1989, Cooley worked for

(WCW) based in Atlanta in 1990 as a jobber to the stars. In 1991, he formed a tag team with Frankie Lancaster as the Heartbreakers in Puerto Rico with Cooley as Apollo and Lancaster as Adonis. They won the

WWC World Tag Team Championship The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. History Abroad (2017) On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended t ...

defeating El Bronco and Invader #1. The Heartbreakers won the title two more times feuding with Rex King and

Ricky Santana Ricardo Santana Ortiz (born November 21, 1958), better known as Ricky Santana, is an American retired professional wrestler of Cuban descent who has worked for World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation, World Wrestling Council and t ...

. In 1992, they made an appearance in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

losing to The Bushwhackers. The following year, Lancaster joined

Austin Idol Michael McCord (born October 26, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler and Current Manager in the National Wrestling Alliance, better known by the ring name Austin Idol. He is best known for his appearances in the Mid-South with the ...

's short-lived USA Wrestling promotion based in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan is a city in and the county seat of Houston County, Alabama, Houston County in the U.S. state of Alabama. A slight portion of the city extends into Dale County, Alabama, Dale and Henry County, Alabama, Henry counties. It had a population ...

. He and

Steve Armstrong Steven James (born March 16, 1965), better known by his ring name Steve Armstrong, is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of fellow wrestler "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and has three brothers who also wrestled: Scott, Brad, and Bria ...

, teaming as "The Young Bucks", defeated Simply Devine (Rex King & Steve Doll) on April 3, 1993, in a tournament final to become the inaugural USA Tag Team Champions. They held the belts until the promotion closed a few months later. After Frankie Lancaster left WCW in 2000, The Heartbreakers reunited in the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

and continued teaming up occasionally. Cooley worked for NWA Wrestle Birmingham. He won the Texas Heavyweight Title defeating

Tom Prichard Thomas Prichard (born August 18, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler and author better known by the ring name Dr. Tom Prichard. He is the older brother of Bruce Prichard. Professional wrestling career ...

on November 22, 2014, at GCW Southern Legends Fanfest in Pell City, Alabama. He retired from wrestling in 2019.

Personal life

Cooley appeared in the children's fictional book My Father, the Angel of Death published in 2006. A documentary called Wildcat Wendell Cooley was released in 2016 directed by Brian Logan. It features

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...

, Tom Prichard, Tony Anthony and Koko B. Ware.

Championships and accomplishments

** Mid-South Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) - with

NWA Mid-America NWA Mid-America was a professional wrestling promotion territory under the umbrella of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from 1940 until 1981. The company was founded in 1940 by Nick Gulas ...

** CWA International Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **

CWA Heavyweight Championship The CWA Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Championship Wrestling Association. It was created through the unification of the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight, AWA Southern Heavyweight and CWA/AWA Inter ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) *

** SCW Southwest Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Jerry Oske *

Southeastern Championship Wrestling Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama, from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship W ...

** NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship ''(Northern Division)'' (

) **

( 3 times) *USA Wrestling **USA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...

( 3 times) - with Frankie Lancaster *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

**PWI ranked Wendell Cooley # 140 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 1991 ** PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year Third Runner Up 1986

References

External links

*
Wendell Cooley at OWW.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooley, Wendell 1961 births American male professional wrestlers Living people People from Milton, Florida Professional wrestlers from Florida Stud Stable members WWC World Tag Team Champions