Greg Valentine

1.1. Early life and education

Jonathan Anthony Wisniski was born on September 20, 1951, in Seattle, Washington.
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During his teenage years, he traveled around Texas with his father, Johnny Valentine. While on a summer vacation, Wisniski made the pivotal decision to drop out of college to pursue a career in professional wrestling. Initially, his father attempted to dissuade him, but eventually relented to his son's aspirations.

1.2. Professional wrestling training and debut

In 1970, Johnny Valentine sent his son to Calgary, Canada, to train under the legendary Stu Hart. Wisniski made his professional wrestling debut in July 1970, facing Angelo "King Kong" Mosca, a match he lost in approximately five minutes. Six months later, he relocated to Detroit to complete his training under The Sheik, further honing his skills.

2.1. Early career (1970-1976)

Initially, Jonathan Wisniski was reluctant to adopt his famous father's ring name. He began his career wrestling as Baby Face Nelson before becoming Johnny Fargo, forming one half of The Fargo Brothers tag team with Don Fargo between 1971 and 1974. The Fargo Brothers first competed in the Buffalo and Cleveland-based National Wrestling Federation (NWF), where they captured the NWF World Tag Team Championship twice, defeating Dominic DeNucci and Tony Parisi on May 11, 1972. They later moved to Texas before splitting in 1974.

Following the tag team's dissolution, Wisniski moved to Florida, where he began performing as Johnny Valentine Jr., hoping to live up to his father's legacy. However, he later changed his ring name to Greg "the Hammer" Valentine and was billed as Johnny Valentine's brother, rather than his son. This decision was made due to concerns that publicly acknowledging his son's debut would make the elder Valentine seem too old to be a credible threat in the ring. Valentine remained in Florida for a year, also working in Los Angeles and making his first tour of Japan under Antonio Inoki in New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1975 and early 1976. In Los Angeles, he captured the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship twice, first defeating Edward Carpentier on February 14, 1975, and also held the NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship twice. On April 25, 1975, he challenged Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

2.2. Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1976-1978)

In August 1976, Valentine debuted in Jim Crockett Jr.'s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance based in the Carolinas and Virginias. He was brought in to replace his father, Johnny Valentine, who had been forced to retire after breaking his back in a plane crash in 1975. Valentine immediately began a feud with Johnny Weaver, whom he "retired" with his signature top rope elbow drop. Valentine's elbow drop was heavily promoted as a devastating maneuver, with tapes of him breaking wooden boards with his elbow shown to audiences before his debut. During this period, he was managed by Gene Anderson.

Valentine then formed a successful tag team with Ric Flair, with whom he won the NWA World Tag Team Championship twice and held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship from June 30 to August 22, 1977. They first defeated Gene and Ole Anderson on December 26, 1976, in Greensboro, legitimately injuring Gene to the extent that he had to be stretchered out. They held the titles until May 8, 1977, when the Andersons defeated them in a steel cage match at the old Charlotte Coliseum. Flair and Valentine regained the tag titles from the Andersons on October 30, again leaving Ole unable to leave under his own power. The team eventually split after being stripped of the titles in April 1978 by NWA president Eddie Graham due to their "unprofessional conduct." Flair then focused on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, while Valentine won the NWA World Tag Team Championship once more with Baron von Raschke in 1978.

Concurrently, Valentine feuded with Chief Wahoo McDaniel over the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship. Wahoo had cost Valentine and Flair their first tag team championships (Wahoo, then Flair's nemesis, was the special referee in the steel cage match), fueling Valentine's desire for revenge. On June 11, 1977, in Raleigh, Valentine defeated Wahoo, breaking his leg in the process. Although Wahoo's legs were too thick for Valentine to apply his signature Figure Four leglock, he managed to break Wahoo's ankle using a leg/ankle suplex. The heel Valentine then began wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "I broke Wahoo's leg" on the front and "No more Wahoo" on the back. Wahoo returned on August 9, 1977, and reclaimed the title. Valentine held the title once more, defeating Wahoo again on September 10, before losing it to Ken Patera on April 9, 1978.

2.3. World Wide Wrestling Federation (1978-1979)

Valentine began working on a casual basis for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), then owned by Vincent J. McMahon, starting in November 1978. Managed by The Grand Wizard, he adopted the gimmick of a methodical wrestler who systematically broke the legs of his opponents, including Chief Jay Strongbow. In February 1979, he wrestled then WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund to a one-hour time-limit draw at Madison Square Garden. He challenged Backlund again on March 26, 1979, further solidifying his status as a main eventer.

2.4. Return to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1979-1981)

Valentine returned to the NWA in late 1979 and attempted to reform his tag team with Flair. However, Flair, who had by then become a face, declined. Valentine then won the NWA World Tag Team Championship once more with Ray Stevens in 1980. Four days after their victory, promoter David Crockett informed Valentine and Stevens that he possessed film proving an illegal man had been pinned in the tag match, which would nullify their win. When Crockett threatened to send the film to NWA president Bob Geigel, who would overturn their victory, Stevens and Valentine attacked him and destroyed the film with a pocketknife, eliminating the evidence.

Valentine later claimed to have "seen the light" and re-formed his team with Flair, who believed Valentine had genuinely turned face. However, in a tag match against Jimmy Snuka and The Iron Sheik, Valentine abandoned Flair, leaving him outnumbered. Flair was severely beaten, and Valentine then snapped Gene Anderson's hickory cane over Flair's head, legitimately breaking his nose and splitting his lips. The former partners began a heated feud over Flair's NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. Valentine finally defeated Flair for the title on July 26 in Flair's adopted hometown of Charlotte. He held the title until November 24, when he was beaten by Flair. Flair became one of Valentine's primary opponents in the Mid-Atlantic territory during this period.

2.5. World Wrestling Federation (1981-1982)

Valentine returned to the WWF, now known as the World Wrestling Federation, for a year in 1981 and continued his pursuit of the WWF Heavyweight Championship. On October 19, he pinned Bob Backlund, but the dazed referee mistakenly handed Valentine the title belt. The title was subsequently held up, and Backlund cleanly defeated Valentine in a rematch on November 23. In January 1982, Valentine faced Backlund yet again for the WWF Heavyweight Championship, this time in a steel cage match at the Philadelphia Spectrum, which Backlund won.

He also feuded with Pedro Morales over the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, whom he "injured" by suplexing him on the concrete floor of the arena. Valentine was unsuccessful in winning this title as well, and in mid-1982, he departed the promotion.

2.6. Return to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1982-1984)

Valentine would hold the United States Championship twice more during this period, renewing his feud with Wahoo McDaniel in 1982. He defeated McDaniel for the title on November 4 with the assistance of his manager, Sir Oliver Humperdink. Roddy Piper then began pursuing the title, and after Piper presented Valentine with a cake containing a dog collar, the two engaged in a series of brutal dog collar matches. The most notable of these was at Starrcade 1983, where Piper pinned Valentine in a non-title match after repeatedly whipping him with the steel chain. The feud was intensified by Valentine's tendency to target Piper's ear, which had been injured earlier in his career and would bleed easily. Piper eventually defeated Valentine on April 16, 1983, but Valentine regained the title on April 30 in Greensboro, North Carolina. After winning the US Title back from Piper, Valentine struck Piper in the ear with the championship belt. He eventually lost the title to Dick Slater on December 14, just before leaving Mid-Atlantic for the World Wrestling Federation.

2.7. World Wrestling Federation (1984-1992)

This period marked Greg Valentine's most prominent and successful tenure in the WWF, characterized by significant championship reigns and impactful tag team alliances.

2.7.1. Intercontinental Champion (1984-1985)

Valentine returned to the WWF in 1984, anticipating the success of Vince McMahon's national expansion plan. His first manager during this run was Captain Lou Albano, and he was later managed by Jimmy Hart.

On September 24, 1984, in London, Ontario, Valentine defeated Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, focusing on Santana's injured knee throughout the match. Santana initially believed he had won, but had only achieved a two-count. As Santana celebrated, Valentine rolled him up for the pin and the title. Following the win, Valentine applied the figure-four leglock on Santana, reinjuring him. While Santana was sidelined for leg surgery, Valentine feuded with the Junkyard Dog, whom he faced in an Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship match at the very first WrestleMania held in Madison Square Garden. Valentine pinned the Junkyard Dog after illegally using the ropes, but Santana came to ringside and informed the referee, who restarted the match. Valentine then walked out, losing the match by count-out but retaining his title. Santana eventually recovered and engaged Valentine in numerous matches, finally winning the title back on July 6, 1985, in a steel cage match in Baltimore, ending Valentine's 285-day reign, which was the fifth-longest in Intercontinental title history at the time. Valentine, enraged by losing the championship belt, destroyed it in the steel cage, forcing the WWF to introduce a new Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship belt (this was a pre-planned angle to debut a newer, more modern belt).

2.7.2. Dream Team; New Dream Team (1985-1987)

Valentine then formed a tag team with Brutus Beefcake known as The Dream Team, initially managed by both Jimmy Hart and "Luscious" Johnny V, though Hart was soon dropped to manage The Hart Foundation. On August 24, 1985, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, The Dream Team defeated the U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda) for the WWF Tag Team Championship when Beefcake rubbed Johnny V's lit cigar in Windham's eyes, allowing him to be pinned. They held the titles until April 7, 1986, when they were defeated at WrestleMania 2 by The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid).

At WrestleMania III, The Dream Team defeated the Rougeau Brothers due to interference by Johnny V and Dino Bravo. Upset by a missed move by Beefcake during the match, Valentine left with Bravo and abandoned Beefcake, leading to Brutus turning face later that night.

Replacing Beefcake with Dino Bravo, Valentine formed the New Dream Team. Valentine was reportedly unhappy about teaming with Bravo, feeling they lacked chemistry. After the WWF asked him to "kidnap" Matilda, the bulldog mascot of The British Bulldogs, Valentine resigned. He was brought back soon after, with Jimmy Hart again as his manager (the "kidnap" angle was reassigned to The Islanders), but was used in a much diminished role between 1987 and 1990.

2.7.4. Rhythm and Blues (1990-1991)

Shortly after his feud with Garvin, Valentine formed a tag team with The Honky Tonk Man. For approximately eight months, Valentine resisted dying his hair black, an idea proposed by Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He eventually relented, and since Honky Tonk Man was an Elvis Presley look-alike, Valentine became a Roy Orbison look-alike. The team became known as Rhythm and Blues and was managed by Jimmy Hart. Rhythm and Blues feuded with The Bushwhackers (Butch and Luke) and The Hart Foundation, against whom they received title shots. However, they were often overshadowed by teams like the Legion Of Doom (Animal and Hawk), who were dominating the tag division, feuding with former champions Demolition in six-man tag main events also featuring WWF World Champion The Ultimate Warrior, while Rhythm and Blues' matches were often relegated to opening match status. Famously, during the time of Rhythm and Blues, WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon would often remark that "if you hung The Hammer for being a good singer you would hang an innocent person" whenever Valentine attempted to sing into the microphone while trying to play a guitar.

In mid-December 1990, his partner The Honky Tonk Man departed the World Wrestling Federation. An angle was recorded on December 28, 1990, at Madison Square Garden, where Valentine was defeated by Saba Simba after accidentally being hit by Jimmy Hart's guitar. Afterwards, Valentine almost attacked his manager and began to receive cheers from the fans. On January 7, 1991, the angle was furthered in a match where Davey Boy Smith defeated Dino Bravo. Valentine was again accidentally hit by Jimmy Hart's megaphone. This time, Valentine attacked Jimmy Hart and officially turned face. However, Valentine abruptly departed the company, and along with Honky Tonk Man's departure, this effectively cancelled the planned feud with Valentine.

2.8. Universal Wrestling Federation (1991)

Herb Abrams had ambitious plans for his Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), announcing the signings of notable wrestlers such as Andre the Giant, Steve Williams, The Killer Bees, and Bob Orton. Greg Valentine also joined the company on January 9, 1991, making his debut that night at a television taping in the Penta Hotel in New York City, where he defeated Sonny Blaze. He later defeated Mike Durham at the same taping and was interviewed by Captain Lou Albano, his former WWF manager, on the "Captain Lou's Corner" segment on UWF television. However, his stay in the UWF was technically limited to that single TV taping. Similar to the situation with Andre the Giant, Vince McMahon responded to Abrams' announcements by luring Greg Valentine back to the WWF. In a 2000 interview, Valentine stated that Abrams retaliated by withholding payment for his appearances in the UWF. During this brief period, Valentine also visited Egypt where he challenged local champion Mamdouh Farag.

2.9. World Championship Wrestling (1992)

Conscious of his diminishing status in the WWF, Valentine left the company and signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1992. He made his debut on February 4, 1992, at a house show in Norfolk, Virginia. Teaming with Terry Taylor, the duo defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Tom Zenk. On February 15, 1992, he made his television debut. Two weeks later, he again teamed with Terry Taylor to defeat Ron Simmons and Big Josh to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship. Throughout the spring, the duo successfully defended the belts against Zenk and Bagwell at various house shows. On May 17, 1992, at WrestleWar 92, they lost the titles to The Freebirds. At Beach Blast, Valentine pinned Marcus Bagwell. In July, he became involved in an angle with Dusty Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes where he confronted the father/son duo on WCW Worldwide. Both Rhodes attacked Valentine, only to be retaliated upon by Dick Slater and The Barbarian.

Valentine faced Dustin Rhodes on multiple house shows that summer but was winless. During this series, Valentine also began regularly teaming with Dick Slater. The duo wrestled The Freebirds and Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes. At Clash of the Champions XX, Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson defeated Slater and Valentine in a rare heel vs. heel match. In September 1992, Valentine engaged in a house show feud with Van Hammer and remained undefeated. In the fall, he continued to team with Slater in matches against The Steiner Brothers. On television, Valentine's fortunes continued to wane. On the October 11, 1992, edition of WCW Pro, he was defeated by Shane Douglas. On the October 19, 1992, taping of WCW Saturday Night, he learned that he was scheduled to lose to Sting that night. Additionally, he was not scheduled for any upcoming events, leading Valentine to resign from the promotion.

2.10. World Wrestling Federation (1993-1994)

Valentine reappeared in the WWF at the 1993 Survivor Series under a mask as The Blue Knight in an elimination match. He was part of a team led by Shawn Michaels (who was substituting for Jerry Lawler) and his three "knights," which also included Barry Horowitz as the Red Knight and Jeff Gaylord as the Black Knight, against the Hart Family. He returned again, as Greg Valentine, at the 1994 Royal Rumble, lasting over 20 minutes before being eliminated by Rick Martel. That summer, Valentine wrestled three times on a July house show tour, facing Bob Backlund on each occasion.

2.11. Independent circuit (1994-1996)

Following his departures from major promotions, Valentine embarked on a tour of the independent circuit, wrestling in Japan, with the Hamilton-based International Championship Wrestling promotion, and with the American Wrestling Federation. During this time, he was also managed by Skandor Akbar in NWA Dallas.

2.12. World Championship Wrestling (1996-1998)

Beginning in the summer of 1996, Valentine made several sporadic appearances with WCW over the next two years. He was utilized on a pay-per-appearance basis, but was rarely featured prominently and was allowed to continue wrestling on the independent circuit. On July 1, 1996, Valentine faced Randy Savage on WCW Monday Nitro in Landover, Maryland. Valentine was primarily used on television, facing top stars like The Giant, Harlem Heat, and Lex Luger. The following year, he was used sparingly as well, again on television, but maintained a 6-2 record, defeating opponents such as Mike Enos, Bobby Eaton, and Billy Kidman. Valentine wrestled four times for the promotion in 1998, achieving a 3-1 record. He concluded his WCW run with a victory over Pat Tanaka on February 17, 1998.

2.13. Late career (1998-2019)

On October 10, 1999, Valentine appeared on the infamous Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view, pinning George "The Animal" Steele with the assistance of Sherri Martel. He wrestled on the 2000 tour of the United Kingdom during which Yokozuna tragically died. He was also involved with the short-lived X Wrestling Federation as both an investor and an in-ring performer. In the 2000s, he began reducing his independent bookings to pursue a career in real estate.

On March 13, 2004, Valentine was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004 by his former manager Jimmy Hart. The following night, at WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden, Valentine received loud applause when the class of 2004 was introduced. Shortly after being inducted, Valentine dedicated the plaque he received to his late father, stating: "This one's for you pop, Johnny Valentine."

On January 29, 2005, at WrestleReunion, Valentine won a 17-man battle royal to become the IWA Heavyweight Champion. He lost the title to Tito Santana at WrestleReunion #2 on August 27 of that year. Valentine also wrestled for several independent promotions, including AWA Superstars of Wrestling, which toured New England. In AWA Superstars of Wrestling, Valentine regularly wrestled Tony Atlas.

On October 3, 2005, Valentine made an appearance at WWE Homecoming, and on October 23, he was defeated by Rob Conway (then using a gimmick similar to that of Randy Orton's "legend killer") on an episode of WWE Heat after Eugene interfered on his behalf, causing the referee to award a victory via disqualification to Conway.

In May 2007, Valentine defeated Quinson Valentino to win the Canadian Grand-Prix Wrestling Championship in Morrisburg, Ontario. On August 24, 2007, Valentine returned to Ontario to defend the CGPW Championship against Koko B. Ware in Cornwall, after Koko had defeated Valentine in a non-title match the previous night in Ottawa. Valentine successfully defeated Koko in Cornwall, though the title was later vacated due to inactivity.

In late 2007, Valentine made an appearance in JCW, reforming The Dream Team with Brutus Beefcake in an 8-team elimination match for the then-vacant JCW Tag-Team Titles. They were the first team eliminated after a slightly botched sunset flip from Necro Butcher.

Valentine was present at the retirement ceremony of his long-time friend, Ric Flair, on the March 31, 2008, episode of WWE Raw. On January 29, 2011, Valentine was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling "Hall of Fame" by Jack Blaze in Wheeling, West Virginia, at their annual "LPW Over The Edge" event. Valentine competed in two matches during 2018, both being tag team matches, and continued to make independent appearances until 2019.