The latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring unraveled the complicated life of the American professional wrestler, Chris Adams aka. “Gentleman” Chris Adams. Titled “Chris Adams: The Gentleman and the Demon“, the episode was the ongoing season’s seventh offering.
Not only was Adams a talented professional wrestler, but he was also a wrestling promoter, trainer, and expert in Judo. Interestingly, one of his trainees was none other than “The Texas Rattlesnake”, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Adams spent most of his career performing in Texas-based wrestling promotions, however, many remember his stint in WCCW (World Class Championship Wrestling) with fondness.
At the very beginning of his WCCW career, he worked for Fritz Von Erich, the man who owned the now-defunct promotion. The heel tag team, The Dynamic Duo, consisted of Adams and Gino Hernandez. Subsequently, he turned face after Hernandez attacked him during an event. He went on to feud with many top WCCW stars, however, he is best known for his rivalry with Kevin Von Erich in 1985 and Terry Taylor in 1987. Furthermore, on July 4, 1986, he defeated Rick Rude to become the World Class heavyweight champion.
Chris Adams’ life prematurely ended at the age of 46 when a former roommate shot him to death. The accused William Brent “Booray” Parnell, was charged with murder. Surprisingly Parnell didn’t get convicted. According to VICE TV’s official website the synopsis of Chris Adams: The Gentleman and the Demon reads, “‘Gentleman’ Chris Adams had the charm, prowess and instinct to become a wrestling sensation, but a violent relationship with alcohol led to a tragic end at the hands of a friend.”
When was Chris Adams born and how did he begin wrestling?
Chris Adams was born to Cyril and Jean Adams in Rugby, Warwickshire, on 10 February 1955. Interestingly, even before turning 10, he began training in judo and solely focused on it for several years.
Alongside his younger brother Neil, Chris triumphed in many prestigious judo tournaments. While Neil won medals in two consecutive Olympic games, Chris represented his country, Britain, in the 1976 Summer Olympics. Unfortunately, he did not get the opportunity to compete. However, there is no denying his skills because he was a black belt and even had an interest in various other martial arts forms. Chris Adams also cricket, soccer, and rugby and liked amateur wrestling. Reportedly, he went to architecture college for four years.
According to Dead Wrestler Database, Chris Adams’ friend introduced him to professional wrestling in 1978. Subsequently, Chris began following Dynamite Kid’s matches and began performing himself. After participating in wrestling matches for two years in his home country, he moved to Los Angeles to take his career to the next level.
Chris Adams’ career
When Chris Adams began performing in the WCCW, he allied with the Von Erichs. Soon he began getting into fiery rivalries and got the opportunity to defeat Jimmy Garvin and lift the NWA World Class title.
Interestingly, his career only got more illustrious when he began feuding with Von Erichs. He had an intense rivalry with Gino Hernandez and faced NWA World Champion Ric Flair several times. Unfortunately, his rivalry with Hernandez ended prematurely after Hernandez’s death in February 1986 due to a drug overdose. Later that year, Adams became the World Class heavyweight champion and held the title until he departed from the company.
Post his WCCW career, he competed in promotions such as the Universal Wrestling Federation and Mike George’s World Wrestling Alliance promotion. Soon, alongside wrestling, he opened his own wrestling school, where he trained Steve Williams, who later became the WWE megastar, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Other wrestlers he trained were Khris Germany, Ed Robinson, and more.
Reports suggest that Chris Adams had a plethora of wrestling moves, which he used to perform in his matches. However, his most popular move was a stern “judo kick”, which is now known as the superkick. In modern wrestling, this move is used by many famous names such as The Young Bucks, Shawn Michaels (retired), Dolph Ziggler, and more.
Chris Adams also performed in promotions such as GWF, AWF, and WCW. In GWF, he had a long feud with King Parsons, who is professionally known as, Iceman Parsons. In WCW, he primarily competed as a jobber or a midcarder, however, he left the company in late 1999 due to creative differences.
Chris Adams’ personal life and death
Throughout his life, Chris Adams battled drug and alcohol addiction, which resulted in him getting into trouble with the law. He spent some time in jail and also faced the consequences of a DUI. In a GWF match with Rod Price, he accidentally injured his opponent, for which Price required medical attention.
On October 7, 2001, Adams and his friend got into a heated brawl with his friend William Brent “Booray” Parnell in Waxahachie, Texas, which ended with his death. Interestingly, a few months before his passing, he was facing charges of manslaughter in connection with the death of his ex-girlfriend, Linda Kaphengst.
