Fred Ottman
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Fred Ottman is a professional wrestler who wrestled with the WWF as Tugboat and later Typhoon, before moving to the WCW. As Typhoon, he held the WWF Tag Team title in 1992 as part of "The Natural Disasters" (with partner Earthquake).
The Shockmaster incident
The Shockmaster incident was one of the most infamous moments in professional wrestling. In the early 90s, the Atlanta-based WCW had signed wrestler Ottman from the WWF, and he was to make his debut in a match alongside two very popular WCW stars: Sting and the late Davey Boy Smith. He would be their mystery partner in the upcoming six-man tag match against the heel team, Sid Vicious and Harlem Heat (comprised of brothers Booker T and Stevie Ray).
When Sting and Davey Boy were about to unveil their mystery partner, they did so during a live interview in front of the WCW audience together with Sid and Harlem Heat. Sting would then make his famous quote, "All I have to say is... our partner is going to shock the world because he is none other than... The Shockmaster!" The camera zoomed in on a particular section of the set where two torches set off a small pyrotechnics explosion in front of a paper wall. And The Shockmaster was supposed to make his grand entrance by crashing through that wall in his new attire, consisting of a purple helmet very much like the ones worn by the Stormtroopers in Star Wars, a pair of jeans and a long black vest.
Unfortunately for Ottman, he tripped and fell through the paper wall, with the camera getting a close up of this accident. When he hit the floor, his helmet rolled off long enough for audiences to see who this man was before he managed to put it back on. Even the announcers were speechless. But, as is the rule in professional wrestling, the show must go on. The Shockmaster resumed his entrance as if nothing had happened, and he continued walking up to Sid and Harlem Heat.
The interview ended with Shockmaster verbally threatening the three heels, who at this point were clearly trying to stop themselves from laughing at the blooper. The Shockmaster's voice was in reality, a prerecorded tape that was provided by Ole Anderson. Ironically, Anderson used the same voice effects as he did for another infamous WCW angle, 1991's Black Scorpion.
Championships/Accomplishments
- 1-Time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Earthquake)
- 1-Time FCW PWF Heavyweight Champion
- 2-Time Mid-Southern Tag Team Champion (with Jerry Lawler and Goliath)
- 1-Time CPW Tag Team Champion (with Brett Sawyer)
- 1-Time IAW Tag Team Champion (with Ax)
- 1-Time SWS Tag Team Champion (with Earthquake)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 490 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.