Assassins (professional wrestling)
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The Assassins were a masked professional wrestling
Career
The team had its origins in 1961 in the
Hamilton and Renesto became a well-traveled heel tandem through the 1960s, competing in the Mid-Atlantic territory, Georgia, Florida, California, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Japan and Australia among other areas, and winning championship gold along the way. They returned to Georgia in 1968 and wrestled primarily in that state until 1974; they spent the majority of their time competing in Georgia Championship Wrestling during that time, but they also went to work for an independent group called the All-South Wrestling Alliance, with Hamiilton going solo at first while Renesto worked behind the scenes, then facing off in opposite corners from each other, then reuniting as babyfaces before All-South closed in late 1974.
After Renesto retired from the ring, Hamilton continued The Assassins with new partners in later years, teaming up with Roger Smith and then Randy Colley, before forming the 1980s version of the masked team with Hercules Hernandez in Jim Crockett Promotions, under the management of Paul Jones, who used them as part of his feud with the popular Jimmy Valiant. That version of the team lasted until Hernandez was unmasked after losing to Valiant in a mask vs. hair match at a JCP/Maple Leaf Wrestling show in Toronto, Ontario, on April 15, 1984. Barry Orton replaced Hernandez as Assassin #3 for a few months. Hamilton continued on solo after Barry left JCP, breaking his ties with Jones to turn babyface once again and feud with his former manager, which climaxed with Hamilton teaming with Buzz Tyler to beat Jones' Zambuie Express (Elijah Akeem and Kareem Muhammed) at Starrcade 1984 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Post-wrestling
Jody Hamilton wound down his in-ring career in the Alabama territory competing under a different identity as The Flame before starting up his own promotion in Georgia,
Tom Renesto retired from wrestling in 1974. On April 25, 2000, Renesto died at 72 years old.
Randy Colley went on to form
Roger Smith went on to fame in Memphis in the mid-1980s under the ring name Dirty Rhodes (for his resemblance to Dusty Rhodes in both appearance and mannerisms), both as a heel and a babyface. He has also since retired.
Hercules Hernandez went on to fame under that name in World Class Championship Wrestling, Florida, the WWF and Japan, as the masked Mr. Wrestling III in Mid-South, and as the masked Super Invader in WCW. He died in his sleep of a heart attack in Tampa, Florida, on March 6, 2004, at age 47.
Jim Ross stated that the Masked Assassins "were the greatest tag team that [he] ever saw."[1]
Championships and accomplishments
Hamilton and Renesto
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (12 times)
- NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (4 times)
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (1 time)
- 1 time)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2013[3]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2015)[4]
Hamilton and Colley
Media
Books
- ISBN 0-9745545-3-7. Archived from the originalon 2007-09-16.
References
- ^ Ross, Jimm. "Heyman in MSG..MSG Memory for [email protected] Tag Team..Best All Around Star Ever..WWE Hall of Fame..Order JR's Products". Archived from the original on 2013-03-10. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (2012-12-10). "Mon. update: Major Spike announcement tomorrow, Aces & 8s identity, TNA injury updates, Hall of Fame inductions announced, WWE two PPVs this weekend, Jericho schedule, Amateur wrestling hits MSG first time ever". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
- ISSN 1083-9593.