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"Anytime, anyplace, you want it? I'll take you any-fucking-where!"
Gary Albright after winning a match.

"9 out of 10 of Gary's opponent's wind up on stretchers when they go out of the ring."
Ted Pelc, UWF-i English Commentator.

Gary Albright (May 18, 1963 – January 7, 2000) was an American professional wrestler best known for his work in Stampede Wrestling, Universal Wrestling Federation and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He first started as an amateur wrestling star, setting several records as a NCAA in the University of Nebraska before turning to pro wrestling. Training under people like Lou Thesz and Billy Robinson, he signed up to Stu Hart's Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling, mainly wrestling as a foreign heel named Vokhan Singh. After the closure of Stampede in 1989, he travelled to Japan and joined the shoot-style promotion UWF International, where he became famous to Japanese audiences as a frightening superheavyweight gaijin who knocked people dead with his suplexes. He was one of the few people who got a clean victory over the famed Nobuhiko Takada, headlining many events and giving birth to legendary feuds. When he could not get more from UWF, he switched to Giant Baba's All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he teamed with guys like Stan Hansen and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and challenged Toshiaki Kawada among other highlights. However, tragedy struck around that time when Albright collapsed on a ring and never got up again. He was pronounced dead due to a heart attack, leaving behind a widow belonging to the Samoan Anoa'i wrestling family and an impressive legacy in the history of puroresu.


"The Murderous Tropes":

  • '80s Hair: A mullet.
  • Acrofatic: Was explosively quick when he wanted to be, especially when he suplexed some poor soul.
  • The Alcoholic: Drinking beer was one of his favourite past times.
  • The All-Solving Hammer: In an environment where KO's by strikes and submissions were the norm, he preferred to defeat his opponents by picking them up and throwing them down again and again. That doesn't mean he wasn't skilled at other areas of the game, only that he liked suplexes better than anything else.
  • Arch-Enemy: Nobuhiko Takada, Salman Hashimikov and Super Vader.
  • Beard of Evil: As a Heel, as he had an impressive goatee.
  • Blood Knight: There are stories of him getting into fights outside of the ring, usually when he was out drinking, in which Gary would gleefully waste anybody that challenged him. Said fights used to be against soldiers, martial artists and/or street fighters, yet people comment the fights were often like a child versus an adult.
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: It is said that he never wanted to train or work out, all he wanted to do was drink and fight.
  • Casualty in the Ring: He died during a wrestling match.
  • Charles Atlas Superpower:
    • In pro wrestling, victims of suplexes often have to help the attacker by leaping up with the move. This was never needed when Albright suplexed someone.
    • There was a funny story that Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer when Gary passed. When he was at Nebraska University, the coach would get on him about going to the gym. One day Gary was so fed up that he went into the gym, asked what the school squat record was, and proceeded to break it. The coach never harassed him after that.
  • Combat Commentator: Was a guest commentator for episode 55, 59, 61 and 62 of UWF Bushido.
  • Cool vs. Awesome: His match with Super Vader.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: In some of his interviews he would drop the f-word many times.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Most of his early matches were squashes.
  • Defeating the Undefeatable:
    • At his first match with Nobuhiko Takada, where he defeated the mighty Japanese champion.
    • With Mike Shaw as Karachi Vice, they beat the legendary British Bulldogs for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship on December 30, 1988.
  • Dramatic Dislocation: Mixed with Major Injury Underreaction. During a training session with Mark Fleming, when the latter went for a takedown, he popped Albright's knee out of the socket. The UWF-i staff was about have a fit when Albright just popped it back and continued training.
  • The Dreaded:
    • An ancient rumor says that Albright was blacklisted from the early Ultimate Fighting Championship events because his size, athleticism, wrestling acumen and familiarity with submissions would have been too much to handle by Royce Gracie. While there's no proof that Albright was ever interested in competing in UFC, it's known that the Gracies refused to let amateur wrestlers until Royce's very final participation at the fourth event (when he faced a single, controlled example in Dan Severn), so it's probable Albright's name came up at some point to be crossed out of the list.
    • You know someone is dreaded when other professional wrestlers are afraid to work a rehearsed match with him, and you would think so too if you see him suplex someone.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: Was actually billed as a Face when he started in Stampede Wrestling, until the promoters realized he would work better as a Heel.
  • Everyone Went to School Together: In his amateur wrestling days, he met and wrestled against other guys like "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Dan Severn and John Tenta that with would be his future tag team partners and opponents in pro wrestling.
  • Foreign Wrestling Heel:
    • An old school one for Japanese pro wrestling: huge, strong, boastful and very American.
    • In Stampede Wrestling, he was billed as being from Karachi, Pakistan.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a noticeable scar on the left of his face.
  • Hero Killer: Was the first person to beat Nobuhiko Takada in UWF International. Interestingly, Albright has more wins over him than anyone else.
  • I Know Karate: An accomplished amateur wrestler.
  • Leotard of Power: A nod to his amateur wrestling background, and probably also because he wouldn't look too good in Underwear of Power.
  • Metronomic Man Mashing: Is pretty much famous for this with his suplexes and slams.
  • Mighty Glacier: In pro wrestling, he was huge and slow, but strong and ferocious like a bull. He was not so slow in real wrestling, and definitely not slow of reflexes at all.
  • Mighty Whitey: He was the only UWF-i wrestler with multiple victories over Nobuhiko Takada and who basically curb-stomped everyone else until Super Vader came. The promotion basically fell apart after he left.
  • Out-of-Character Moment: The "Break Gary, Break" incident, in which sabotaged a match with Kiyoshi Tamura which would have been Tamura's biggest win at the time and would have made him a star. Albright repeatedly shot on him and blew the spots of the match because he had been already forced to lose to Masahito Kakihara and was not willing to job to another Japanese midcarder. Albright returned two months later and submitted to Tamura in another match without incident, but the damage was already done, and he then left the promotion to go to All Japan Pro Wrestling.
  • Power Stable: Karachi Vice in Stampede Wrestling.
  • Power Trio: In All Japan Pro Wrestling, the Triangle of Power with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Lacrosse. He also was the leader of the second incarnation with Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahito Kakihara until they broke off.
  • Red Baron: "The Suplex Machine", "Satsujin Kazaguruma" ("Murderous Windmill"), "Satsujin Suplex" ("Murderous Suplex"), "Akaoni" ("Red Demon") and "Air Albright" (this gained in his amateur wrestling days, as his opponents would most likely get sent into the air via suplex). One of the UWF-i English commentators liked referring to him as "The Mountain Man from Montana", though it never really caught on.
  • Squash Match: Was booked with these early in his career. Even over Bad News Allen.
  • Stout Strength: This is what made his suplexes all the more feared.
  • Suplex Finisher: Was an expert in suplexes.
  • Unskilled, but Strong: Was never a technician even in amateur wrestling, as he would just grab onto someone and try to suplex them. Being the big and strong guy he is, he didn't really need much else.
  • Ur-Example: Was nicknamed "The Suplex Machine" before Tazz. Some people think that the latter's gimmick was inspired by Albright.
  • Wrestler in All of Us: In addition to suplexes, Albright liked using the scoop slam in his shoot wrestling matches. It got a free pass because he would have probably been able to pull them in real fights anyways.
  • Wrestling Family: Married into the Anoa'i wrestling family.
  • Wrestling Monster: The closest one can get in shoot wrestling.

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