Line #8 Wrestling/TomZenk


1	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tomzenk_8889.jpg]]
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3	Tom Zenk (November 30, 1958-December 9, 2017) was an American {{Professional Wrestl\|ing}}er and UsefulNotes/{{Bodybuild\|ing}}er. Discovered by [[Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors Road Warrior Animal]], then trained by Eddie Sharkey and Wrestling/BradRheingans, Zenk debuted in 1984 in the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation. Tom also worked for Wrestling/{{WCW}} and Wrestling/{{WWE}}. He died of atherosclerosis and cardiomegaly at the age of 59.
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5	He was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/nwa/pnw-t.html NWA PNW Tag Team Champion]] with Scott Doring, a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/nwa/pnw-h.html NWA PNW Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/qc/pv/can-int-t.html International (Quebec) Tag Team Champion]] with Dan Kroffat[[note]]Better known as Phil [=LaFon=].[[/note]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-t.html NWA United States Tag Team Champion]] with Wrestling/BrianPillman, a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-tv.html NWA World Television Champion]] and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-6.html WCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion]] with [[Wrestling/{{Goldust}} Dustin Rhodes]] and Big Josh (Matt Borne).
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7	!!! "Z-Tropes":
8	* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: He tied for ''Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter'''s "Rookie of the Year" Award in 1984 with Keiichi Yamada, who went on to become junior heavyweight legend ''Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger''!
9	* CombatByChampion: In the AWA he and Greg Gagne were two of the wrestlers paid for one night by Kelloggs to represent the company against their hated rival General Mills in what came to be known as "The Battle Of Breakfast Cereal".
10	* {{Determinator}}: He and Rick Martel failed to advance in the 1986 ''Real World Tag League'' round robin but had lost under half of their matches and were recognized with the "Fighting Spirit" award.
11	* {{Face}}: Always played this role.
12	* GameBreakingInjury: He physically lost mass in 1990 due to a muscle tear.
13	* FinishingMove: Sleeper
14	* MusclesAreMeaningful: He was a champion bodybuilder before he got into wrestling, and his awards from bodybuilding are what got him scouted into professional wrestling.
15	* RedBaron: "Mr. Minnesota" from his body building victories. [[SomethingPerson 'The Z-Man']] in professional wrestling, which became his ring name in WCW.
16	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere
17	** Walked out on WWE in 1987 over a pay dispute.
18	** Also, apart from a short stint in the mid-2000s where he re-emerged as a figure in the very popular shoot interview scene (Zenk was particularly vitriolic and humorous so he gained quite a bit of notoriety), Zenk completely disappeared from the wrestling business in 1996. His time as a shoot interview subject was also short-lived as he disappeared from the scene to such an extent that even people he'd been friends with in the business such as Dave Meltzer were unaware that he'd died for more than two weeks afterward.
19	* TagTeam: Besides the men he won tag team title belts with, there was also The Can-Am Connection with Wrestling/RickMartel in WWE, continuing on from their team in All Japan, as well as "The Sales And Marketing Team" in the AWA with Greg Gagne and "Dos Hombres" with Wrestling/RickySteamboat in WCW.

Context Wrestling / TomZenk