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Bulldog Brower

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Richard T. Gland (September 17, 1933 – September 15, 1997), better known by his ring name Dick "Bulldog" Brower, was an American professional wrestler.

Bulldog Brower
Gland, circa 1979
Birth nameRichard T. Gland[1]
Born(1933-09-17)September 17, 1933[2]
Delaware, U.S.[3]
DiedSeptember 15, 1997(1997-09-15) (aged 63)[3]
Spouse(s)Susan Gland (his death)[1]
Children3[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bulldog Brower
Delaware Destroyer
Dick Brower
The Gestapo
Billed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Billed weight270 lb (120 kg; 19 st)
Debut1958[3]
Retired1988[3]

Early life

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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

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Gland (top) pulls on Johnny Powers's face (bottom), circa 1979

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 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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hager, Mary (September 18, 1997). "Richard Gland, 63; 'Dick the Bulldog'". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Wrestler Profiles: Dick "The Bulldog" Brower". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dick 'The Bulldog' Brower". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ a b c d Harris M. Lentz III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
  5. ^ a b c d e Johnson, Steven; Oliver, Greg (2010). Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. pp. 167–169. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  6. ^ a b c Cole, Glenn (September 17, 1997). "Bulldog Brower a legend". SLAM! Sports. Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  8. ^ a b "International Tag Team Title (Ontario)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sammartino Takes Measure Of Bulldog Brower on Mat". The New York Times. November 17, 1970. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Backlund, Bob; H. Miller, Robert (2015). Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion. Simon and Schuster. p. 362. ISBN 9781683584445.
  11. ^ a b "NWF North American Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Title (Australia)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "WWC North American Tag Team Title (Puerto Rico)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  15. ^ "NWF World Tag Team Title (Ohio/Upstate New York)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  16. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Dallas) Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [Fritz Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 978-0-9698161-5-7.
  17. ^ "World Brass Knuckles Title (Australia)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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