Line #9 Wrestling/DickTheBruiser


1	[[quoteright:227:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dickthebruiser_2768.jpg]]
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3	William Afflis (1929-1991) was an American [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball football player]] and {{Professional Wrestl\|ing}}er from Indiana as Dick the Bruiser. He made his name competing primarily in the Midwest, for various Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance territories, for [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation the AWA]] and his own World Wrestling Association in Indianapolis from 1954 until he retired in 1985. He is particularly well known for his many years teaming with Wrestling/TheCrusher (Reggie Lisowski). He also competed for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling and made some appearances for Capitol Wrestling, the precursor to Wrestling/{{WWE}}. The most infamous was on November 19, 1957, which saw a genuine wooden chair throwing riot break out due to Dr. Jerry Graham bloodying Wrestling/AntoninoRocca following Rocca and Edouard Carpentier's win over Bruiser and Graham. After he retired, he worked for Wrestling/{{WCW}} as a talent agent. Among his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-h.html AWA World Heavyweight Champion]], a 5x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-t.html AWA World Tag Team Champion]] with the Crusher, and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/int-t.html NWA International Tag Team Champion]] with the Crusher. He was inducted into the ''[[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' Hall of Fame in 1996, and the WWE Legacy wing in 2021.
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5	!! "The World's Most Dangerous Tropes":
6	* ArchEnemy: [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain Heenan]], [[Wrestling/EdFarhat the Sheik]], Wrestling/BruiserBrody, Wrestling/HarleyRace.
7	** Only semi-{{Kayfabe}}: The Sheik's Detroit promotion had a serious feud with Bruiser's World Wrestling Association in Indianapolis. Bruiser was a close friend of NWA boss Sam Muchnick and had some ownership points in Muchnick's St. Louis Wrestling Club and never really cared for Sheik. Muchnick actually stopped using DTB in St. Louis after 9/22/72 until 2/15/74. WWA invaded Detroit, which was an NWA member, while the WWA wasn't. Bruiser didn't like the Sheik's wrestling style. Muchnick brought Sheik into St. Louis twice and never used him again. A lot of guys felt that the Sheik [[BadBoss shorted them on their payouts]] and didn't like how Sheik kept himself as the star attraction and would [[SpotlightStealingSquad basically squash guys who were getting over.]]
8	* AsHimself: In the 1974 film ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070930/combined The Wrestler]]''.
9	* BashBrothers: With the Crusher, of course, Wilbur Snyder, and Wrestling/BrunoSammartino.
10	* BloodKnight: He and Crusher would beat on each other after the end of a match, just because they weren't done fighting yet. He was also at the center of more than one riot in his life.
11	* {{Bouncer}}: Used to be a bouncer in a casino before wrestling. He rarely had to hit anyone, [[AwesomenessIsAForce as ripping a large phone book was enough to calm all but the stupidest troublemakers]].
12	* CigarChomper: He would smoke them almost as often as he smoked his opponents.
13	* FinishingMove: Top rope kneedrop and a stomach claw.
14	* ImprobableWeaponUser: While wrestling in St. Louis, he {{Squash\|Match}}ed a young Ray "Hercules" Hernandez in a match which started with Bruiser knocking him to the floor, against a table and hitting him with a pitcher of water that was on the table.
15	* InkSuitActor: Appeared as a {{Heel}} in the ''Manga/TigerMask'' series.
16	* ManlyMan: He would drink beer, fight, raise hell, smoke cigars, and let you know about it. And not necessarily in that order.
17	* TheNicknamer: Dick was the first to call Wrestling/BobbyHeenan "Weasel." The nickname stuck for the rest of Heenan's life.
18	* NoSell: One of the earliest examples of someone who regularly did this.
19	* PopularityPower: Once he and Da Crusher got over, they ''never'' lost the crowd's support.
20	* RedBaron: "The World's Most Dangerous Wrestler".
21	* RingOldies: He was 56 when he retired.
22	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: Ran his own promotion, the World Wrestling Association in UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, and had ownership points with the St. Louis Wrestling Club.
23	* ShoutOut: Creator/DavidLetterman's band, The World's Most Dangerous Band, got their name from the Bruiser.
24	* StoutStrength: You look up barrel chested in a dictionary you will find his picture.
25	* TagTeam::
26	** with the Crusher.
27	** Annihilation Inc., with Bruno Sammartino.
28	* UnrelatedBrothers: With the Crusher.
29	* WrestlingFamily:
30	** Spike Huber was married to his daughter and when they divorced, Bruiser blacklisted the poor guy out of the business, though there was later a reconciliation.

Context Wrestling / DickTheBruiser