Grilling JR - Brian Adams [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Brian Adams

Brian Keith Adams was born on April 14, 1964 in Kona, Hawaii so it was a shoot. He was a boxer in the US Air Force and was stationed in Japan where he was first exposed to wrestling.

What was your first exposure to Brian Adams?

In 1986, after training in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams debuts in NJPW but his work visa expired. Adams came back to the US and began working in Portland, Oregon for PNW (Pacific Northwest Wrestling).

He was given the nickname The American Ninja and tagged with Len Denton (The Grappler) and were called the Wrecking Crew. What are your memories of Len Denton?

He bounces around NJPW before jumping to AJPW before signing with the World Wrestling Federation in June of 1990 and becomes the 3rd member of the Tag Team Champions, Demolition. They quickly change over to having Freebird rules and any combo can defend the tag team titles.

What are your feelings on the “Freebird rule”? Does it take away credibility for normal tag teams?

Crush debuts at a live event teaming with Smash on June 5th and makes his TV debut on Saturday Night’s Main Event on June 23rd teaming with Smash (Barry Darsow). It was reported at the time that Crush was put in as a member of the team because Ax (Bill Eadie) was having heart issues and they wanted to keep the gimmick going. Is that how you remember hearing it?

On the July 28th episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event Crush & Smash defeated the Rockers after Ax’s interference.

Did you see Adams when he was part of the gimmick? Did you think he hurt or helped the gimmick?

At SummerSlam Crush & Smash lost the WWF Tag Team Titles to The Hart Foundation in Philadelphia when the Legion of Doom interfered.

Did you think Demolition was a ripoff of the Road Warriors? The natural feud between the two teams began with that but was Demolition in your mind weakened when the LOD debuted for the WWF?

Demolition does not survive much longer as at WrestleMania 7 they lose to Genichiro Tenryu and Koji Kitao and they were taken off TV. Bill Eadie was already off in Japan at this point doing the Demolition Ax gimmick there. Barry Darsow is repackaged as Repo Man and Crush returns to Oregon.

What did you think of Repo Man? You had to had loved the gimmick right?

Oregon wrestling shuts down. What is the legacy of Oregon wrestling and Don Owen?

Crush returns to WWF TV as the “Kona Crush.”

What did you think of the gimmick?

You make your WWF debut on WrestleMania 9 and Crush goes up against Doink the Clown.

Wrestling Observer 4/12/93

3. Doink the Clown pinned Crush in 8:28. Not much crowd reaction for a grudge match that was pushed so hard. Doink did a piledriver early although they never acknowledged Crush's "back neck" from the angle. They traded some decent action with Crush getting his Crush move on once, but Doink made the ropes. Second time Doink hit the ref and tried to go under the ring but Crush pulled him out. He put the move on again but again no ref so a second Doink ran in and hit Crush with a fake arm and the ref counted the fall. Fans were cheering the finish. The two Doinks were making weird faces at each other doing a mime bit that was really well done. The second Doink was Steve Keirn (Skinner), who had shaved off his beard to play the role. He hid under the ring from before the show started and stayed under the ring until the show was over and all the fans had left the building, which explains his disappearance with nobody seeing him. He'll be wearing a fake beard in whatever future Skinner matches he has to work, which may not be many more since both Doinks were together at television the next day. *1/2

So you leave WCW...more of a non-gimmick company to this and this is the 3rd match in on your first PPV...and wow. Double Doinks. Were you thinking...how am I gonna sell this shit?

Crush moves on to a program with Shawn Michaels and they face off at King of the Ring 1993.

Wrestling Observer 6/21/93

8. Shawn Michaels retained the IC title pinning Crush in 11:14. Crush has improved in that he can do good moves and has agility, but doesn't work well with others. He's going to have a problem in that he's so much larger than almost all the wrestlers, especially with most everyone off the juice. In this match it was hard because they'd down all the cliche big-man, little-man spots in three previous bouts on the card. They gave Kevin Nash the name "Diesel" in a pre-match interview. Diesel distracted Crush allowing Shawn to post him several times but Crush kicked out of the pin. Crush came back by reversing a front facelock and throwing him over the top rope to the floor. Crush got several near falls until both Doinks came down and distracted him, allowing Michaels to come from behind with a superkick for the pin. *1/2

The most memorable portion of this match is the naming of Kevin Nash as Diesel but was this more of a measuring stick to see how Crush could do with a super worker like Shawn Michaels and how it came up short.

On July 4th Crush is scheduled to be part of the Yokozuna USS Intrepid bodyslam gimmick. He’s the first guy to take Yoko off his feet but it turns into a back injury.

Wrestling Observer 7/19/93

Raw on 7/12 (taped 7/5) was headlined by Yokozuna vs. Crush. It had a good storyline in that Yokozuna is going berserk because of the slam, and gave Crush several Banzai's after pinning him. He then destroyed Tatanka and a few jobbers afterwards until Randy Savage and Tatanka pulled Crush out of the ring. As for the work, it pretty well exposed both guys. Yokozuna needs a great worker to have a decent singles match of any length because of his limitations based on size and lack of stamina. A great worker is exactly what Crush isn't, as has been shown whenever he's been put in a situation where he has to work longer than 5:00. This doesn't bode well for prospective Luger-Yokozuna matches, either. Crush is the kind of wrestler who has impressive size and agility, but needs to be protected either by working with great people or kept in short matches. Actually his limitations were even more obvious against Doink in the Superstars match.

Do you agree with Meltzer’s assessment of Crush at this point in time?

He’s taken off TV due to a legit ankle injury and does phone interviews on TV to heat himself back up but comes across as heel.

Do you think it was time to repackage him at this point?

Wrestling Observer 10/5/93

The angle where Crush made the full-fledged heel turn took place on the live Raw show on 10/18. Crush, with beard and mustache, accompanied by Mr. Fuji, was yelling at Randy Savage about being jealous when he started surpassing him. Savage got in the ring and seemingly convinced Crush to talk out their problems. As they left the ring, Crush jumped Savage and press slammed him and dropped him on the rail. Savage juiced slightly from the forehead and from the mouth and Crush destroyed him in the ring with Fuji and Jim Cornette watching and Yokozuna gave Savage a banzai to finish the job. It was a very well done angl

How did you feel Crush getting programmed with Savage was going to help Crush get to the next level? If this didn’t work was there any hope for him as a top level guy?

Crush goes on to be part of the Survivor Series main event teaming with Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga & Jacques Rougeau against Lex Luger, The Undertaker and the Steiner Brothers.

Wrestling Observer 12/6/93

5. Lex Luger & Steiners & Undertaker beat Ludvig Borga & Yokozuna & Jacques Rougeau & Crush in 27:59. Borga pinned Rick in 5:05 to win the first fall. The finish was supposed to be Borga rolling through a crossbody off the top rope. What it actually was was so messed up it can't even be described. Savage came out and Crush jumped out after him, getting counted out for the second fall in 6:31.

Do you know what Savage thought of working with Crush?

The Crush - Savage program continues at the Royal Rumble where Crush eliminates Savage. This is a big time rub Savage is giving Crush. It would lead to the last time Randy Savage would wrestle at a WrestleMania with him facing Crush at WrestleMania X.

Wrestling Observer 3/28/94

WrestleMania 10

3. Randy Savage beat Crush in 9:43 in a falls count anywhere match with falls not counting and victory achieved when one person couldn't return to the ring after one minute after the fall, which is a flawed concept if you take it seriously because what happens if a fall occurs in the ring? At a house show in San Jose which may have been the first night they tried this concept (with miserable results) they had a fall end in the ring, then had to roll out of the ring to make the concept work. This much better than what they've been doing at the shows. Crush won the first fall in the aisle in :45 when he pressed Savage and dropped him on the guard rail. Actually Savage didn't make it back into the ring until 2:10, which is much longer than one minute, but they must have had a slow stopwatch. In the second fall Mr. Fuji gave Crush salt, but Savage pushed Crush's hand and the salt when in Crush's eyes and Savage delivered the elbow off the top. To make the concept work, he then had to throw him on the floor before getting the pin at 4:30 elapsed time. Crush wasn't going to make it in time, but Fuji poured a glass of water on him which revived him. Crush backdropped Savage over the top rope, but as they brawled on the floor, Savage posted Crush, rammed him into the ring steps and clotheslined him over the guard rail. Crush responded with a superkick on the floor. Crush went for a piledriver in the aisle but Savage reversed it and rammed Crush into the well, threw him threw a few doors like it was the closing of the old TV show "Get Smart", and scored a pin at 8:09. Savage then tied Crush's feet to a chord. He was supposed to hang Crush upside down and leave him hanging and get back in the ring to win, which was a pretty creative finish, but apparently he missed his Boy Scout knot tying classes because he didn't knot part of the job done. Crush couldn't get back in and the match was called after 9:43. **3/4

What did you think of the finish of this? For what it was it was good but the finish being all messed up...not a stellar last match for Randy Savage in his WrestleMania legacy.

Crush goes back and forth the rest of the year semi-feuding with Lex Luger but not really having a central focus. Do you think Vince had given up on him at this point?

Crush subs in for Yokozuna in casket matches on a European tour in September with the Undertaker and loses them and disappears off TV. Do you know the reason why?

Crush returns at the Royal Rumble in 1995 as the 30th entrant which is a big deal. He helps throw out the Smoking Gunns with Shawn Michaels, throws out Adam Bomb, Fatu, and LEX LUGER. He’s part of the final 4. Davey Boy Smith throws him out and Crush finishes 3rd in this Rumble. For a guy who hadn’t been seen on TV since August and not a guy that’s real pushed...this is kind of crazy right?

The rumor and innuendo is that Crush was a longtime friend of The Undertaker and Taker was looking to get Crush back in and pushed and to face him at the following WrestleMania. Do you know that to be true?

Crush isn’t brought back on TV until it’s announced on WWF Mania on 3/25/95 that he’s been fired. From the Observer:

Brian Adams, or Crush, was arrested this past week on drug and illegal handgun charges and immediately fired by the World Wrestling Federation.

Adams, 31, was arrested on 3/13 by the Narcotics Enforcement Division of Public Safety in Hawaii. He was released after posting a $10,275 bond. He had been living in Kona on the island of Hawaii and operating a Gold's Gym while on hiatus from the WWF for the past year although he did appear at the Royal Rumble in Tampa in January.

After an eight-day investigation which started when the customs mail branch found a package that allegedly contained 500 units of anabolic steroids, police searched Adams' home and allegedly found several unregistered semi-automatic handguns and other drugs including marijuana. He was booked on 12 counts, five for gun registration violations and seven counts of promoting harmful drugs.

After the story broke on Thursday on the Associated Press wire, the WWF, obviously embarrassed by the situation even though Adams had not worked regularly for the group since a few weeks after last year's Wrestlemania, on Friday released to the AP that Adams' contract had been terminated.

How did you hear about this? How did the office? What did you think about all this?

Wrestling Observer 8/19/96

Crush debuted on TV and has a good heel look but no charisma and his work is still the same. Clearance Mason has great potential, however.

Crush returns back as a “biker” with his real-life arrest being referenced as part of a storyline. Do you think bringing something up like this is good for the man and the character because it’s real? Did Undertaker fight for his friend to come back or was it a Vince call? What did you think of Clearance Mason and how did he come about?

Crush is in the match for the debut of The Rock at Survivor Series 1996 and in fact is pinned by the Rock as he’s the second to last member to be pinned by The Rock.

Crush joins the Nation of Domination with Clearance Mason and Faarooq and feuds with Savio Vega...until Vega joins the Nation. Was it important to have an African-American, a white man and a Puerto rican in the group to spread the diversity?

Crush feuds with Ahmed Johnson along with Faarooq. At King of the Ring Crush loses to Goldust and argues with Savio Vega distracting Faarooq and costing him the WWF Title. The 3 split and each start or restart in the case of the Nation their own groups.

Crush starts the DOA which is the Disciples of Apocalypse which is an all-white biker group of himself, Brian Lee (Chainz), Ron & Don Harris (Skull & 8-Ball). Looking back at it now do you think a group like this would be tolerable with the current climate? Were these 3 men brought in to be put in this group or were they brought in and than determined to be a good fit with this gimmick.

Savio Vega starts Los Boricuas with Miguel Perez Jr, Jose Estrada, and Jesus Castillo. Who brought these men in or recommended them? Did you go to Savio for advice on building the stable?

NOD rounds out with Faarooq, Kama, D’Lo Brown and The Rock.

It’s GANG WARFARE~! This is a lot of talent to really be involved in one feud. Was it too much or was the focus on filling out a talent roster that might’ve been slim at the time?

They go against each other in all certain ways shapes and forms. DOA transfers into a program against the Truth Commission where the Truth Commission defeated them at Survivor Series 1997.

Brian Adams is PISSED after the Montreal Screwjob. When did you first hear of the issue with Brian about what happened?

Wrestling Observer 12/1/97

Jarrett was supposed to wrestle Crush (although Jarrett kept calling him Chainz). Jarrett complained that in his contract he was supposed to get a catered meal and bottled water and how McMahon wasn't living up to it (trying to symbolize how Bret was a heel crying about his contract) and how he didn't want to wrestle Chainz because he wasn't at his level. Kane ended up coming out and destroying Crush and doing the no-sell spots.

So Kane destroys Crush here. Was this known this would be Crush’s last appearance?

Wrestling Observer 12/8/97

Crush was out of action this weekend due to jamming his neck in the angle with Kane on 11/24. In actuality, he's involved in a contract dispute. Don't know the particulars. Either they want to renegotiate his contract for less money, or his contract is coming due and they're offering him less money to stay. Either way, he isn't happy and I'd say it's a solid bet he may be leaving for you know where, not that it's any kind of a major acquisition or anything. They are going to push Chainz now as the leader of the DOA.

Was it a contract dispute? Was it upset over the Montreal Screwjob? What’s the real story here?

Wrestling Observer 12/29/97

Skull and Eight Ball were signed to new contracts, but Crush has officially been released from his deal and is expected to go to WCW.

So Crush leaves to head to WCW and is there until the end of WCW. Until…

Wrestling Observer 9/10/01

Undertaker vs. Richards never got started because Kronik (just signed this past week) showed up and gave Undertaker a beating. He sold for them. I can see taking a chance on Bryan Clark, even though he sucked in WCW this last time (he seemed to have a ton of potential as Wrath before a jealous Nash killed him off because he was almost as big and so much more athletic that Nash didn't want the comparison). But Brian Adams was, with the possible exception of Stevie Ray, the worst wrestler in either of the big two last year. For those of you wanting to be wrestlers, just remember, if you're tall and have a good body, once they see you, unless you're a total dickhead like Luger or Sid, and it'll take at least 20 second chances if you look like them, you'll always get a look because even if you totally stink, the promoter sees you in street clothes and is more impressed than a guy who can work rings around you and gets over with the crowd. Think of all those guys like Jarrett who are sitting at home and they hire Adams. At least Undertaker sold for them huge, so that was a great introduction with impact. Undertaker & Kane vs. Kronik. Wow.

Why Kronik here at this point in time in the “Invasion?” How easy was the deal to put together? Do you agree with Meltzer’s assessment of Adams? Did anyone watch or see their work over the last point of time in WCW? Did Undertaker vouch to bring them in?

Wrestling Observer 10/1/01

The down point of the show was the Undertaker & Kane vs. Kronic match, which may have been the worst WWF PPV match between male wrestlers all year and resulted in the end of Kronic's very brief stay in WWF. The word we got is that they claim they quit and one company source said they were dumped, but details weren't confirmed other than that they are gone after just three weeks and they had called up to try and get re-booked on the late October Russo tour of Australia. The story going around is that Jim Ross talked to them before the show on Monday and told them they were going to send them to HWA and they instead quit. If that story is correct, for wrestlers of their level of experience, the idea they were being sent down was a nice way of hoping that they would quit. What was also strange is that even though Kronic shouldn't have been in the company (brought in as a favor since Brian Adams and Undertaker are friends), if they are being brought in, why were they given a manager and an attempt at a big angle if they were to be literally beaten like a drum on the finish to immediately take whatever luster there could possibly be? Considering the finish, not the pinfall but blow-off nature, they already had made their decision before the match. It was the right decision, but why sign them? Certainly whatever questions there were going in regarding Kronic being brought in ended up being an exclamation point in the negative after this match. I'm not against the idea of guys being brought in for one week if that's the plan with the idea of freshening up with an "outside" match, but clearly, with the angle where Shane asked them to join WCW just one week earlier and alignment with Steven Richards, that wasn't the plan. As bad as the match was, realistically, based on the quality of Undertaker & Kane matches of late, and of Kronic matches in WCW, who really could have expected anything but a stinker going in?

How quickly into the match did you realize how bad it was? Were there any fears going in about this match? The agent tell anyone that there was a fear of how this was going to go? Is the story true that after the match the attempt to send them down to HWA was a way of getting them to leave? How did the conversation go? 

On August 13, 2007, Adams was found unconscious by his wife and he later died at their Tampa, Florida home. The medical examiner concluded that the cause of death was a result of mixing the painkiller buprenorphine with the muscle relaxant carisoprodol and the sedatives chlordiazepoxide and alprazolam. The coroner determined the drugs in his system were individually at therapeutic levels, but their combination impeded his respiratory system enough to kill him. He was 43 years old.

Memories of Adams? Good or bad?