Adams hailed from Stratford-on-Avon in England. He was introduced as a long-distance “pen pal” of the Von Erichs, specifically Kevin. The truth is Christopher Adams was an accomplished master of Judo who was trained in his native England by several wrestlers, including legends Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith and Dave “Fit” Finlay.
Early experiences in wrestling:
After learning from the British legends, Adams moved to the Los Angeles area to train under Mike and Gene LeBell. The Los Angeles territory was in its final days when Adams joined. Adams won all the titles in the area before the company folded.
After Los Angeles, Adams moved north to the Portland, Oregon territory. During this stage in his career, Adams struck up friendships with Matt (Os)Borne, Jesse Barr (Jimmy Jack Funk), and “Iceman” King Parsons. These friendships would last the rest of Adams’ life.
During this time, Adams toured much of the Asian, European, Canadian and Mexican markets. While in Mexico, Adams actually won the WWWF (WWE) Light Heavyweight title. Although the reign is pretty much ignored by the WWE, Adams held the title for two months.
World Class:
In early 1983, Dallas promoter Jack Adkisson (Fritz Von Erich) contacted Adams about relocating to the Dallas area. Many other Portland stars: Parsons, Borne, The Grappler, etc…, had moved to the expanding World Class territory. Adams was brought to the territory in April, 1983 and introduced in a series of interviews with legendary announcer, Bill Mercer. The two discussed Adams’ background while enjoying “high tea”. Adams, as an ally of the Von Erich, was cheered almost as loudly as the hometown heroes were.
Adams was thrown in several “Von Erich” feuds. He joined the brothers to battle the Freebirds, Skandar Akbar’s Devastation Inc., Gary Hart and his stable, etc… After the death of David Von Erich in February, 1984, Adams was thrust, somewhat, into David’s role until Mike Von Erich was fully ready to wrestle.
By the fall of 1984, Adams had shocked many of his fans by aligning himself with manager, Gary Hart. Fritz found himself with a bit of a problem on his hands. Adams should have been instantly booed by the fans for his association with Hart. Most fans continued to cheer Adams. Many cheered him for breaking free from the Von Erichs. Fritz set Adams to take the brutality to a new level, by attacking Kevin Von Erich with a wooden chair. The chair shattered over Kevin’s head, causing a severe gash on Kevin’s head and a nasty concussion. A few weeks later, Kevin used a chair on Adams. When the second chair shattered, Adams nearly lost an eye from a wooden sliver. Both Adams and Kevin flatly refused to do anymore chair stunts, and the angle was restructured.
Chris Adams was teamed with one of the hottest young stars of the time, Gino Hernandez. The two took the name, the Dynamic Duo. They battled all the faces of the territory, especially the Von Erichs. Adams began to bring a large pair of scissors to the ring, to clip the hair of their opponents. This gimmick would be embraced by Brutus Beefcake, a few years later. The culmination of the hair-cutting angle came in October of 1985, when Kevin and Kerry Von Erich faced Hernandez and Adams in a double hair match at the Cotton Bowl. The loss by Adams and Hernandez drove a wedge into the team. They were set to feud. To begin the brutal feud, Hernandez threw a “hair removal cream” into Adams’ eyes, supposedly blinding him. Adams had asked for some time off to visit friends and family in England before the huge Hernandez vs Adams feud. While Adams was in England, Hernandez was found dead, due to a cocaine overdose. Adams was actually questioned by police in the states and in England to see if he was involved with the death. Hernandez’s death was initially listed as a possible homicide.
After the situation with Hernandez finally was cleared, Adams returned to battle against Rick Rude. He also expanded his base of operation to include the San Antonio area.
Moving on:
In 1987, Adams accepted an offer from Bill Watts to join the Mid-South promotion, now renamed the Universal Wrestling Federation. Watts sent Adams to different territories throughout the south, including Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. Adams began to focus on training in the various organizations. By 1988, Adams entered semi-retirement as he returned to Dallas to set up his training academy.
You can’t go home again:
By 1988, the World Class territory had begun to dissolve. Fritz sold the company to Jerry Jarrett. The World Class name was replaced by the USWA brand. The USWA was doomed to failure, because Jarrett refused to compete against the production values of Vince McMahon. Adams stayed with the company to the very end.
After the death of the USWA, Joe Pedicino took possession of the territory with his Global Wrestling Federation. Adams was set up as a cornerstone for the fledgling company. The company folded due to legal pressure from Vince McMahon’s company. McMahon claimed that the GWF was a copy-right infringement on the WWF. While the claim was absurd, Pedicino couldn’t afford the battle.
Adams then shifted around for awhile in various federation to finish his wrestling career. In 1998 and 1999, Adams played on his British heritage in World Championship Wrestling, by being teamed with Lord Steven (William) Regal and Dave Taylor as a member of the Blue Bloods. Sadly, Adams fell into the mid-card section of the over-populated WCW. Adams eventually requested his release and returned to Texas. Adams continued to train wrestlers and assist in video production for World Class tribute programs.
The personal struggles and death:
Chris Adams was married on three occasions. Two of the three ended in divorce. Adams was first married to Jeannie Clark. Clark would leave Adams to marry Adams’ protege, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Adams’ second wife was Toni Adams. Toni eventually left Adams, partially due to Adams’ issues with drugs and alcohol. Karen Adams married Chris just two months before his murder in 2001.
Drugs and alcohol led to several run-ins with the law. In 1986, Adams was arrested and convicted of assault on a airline pilot. Adams was hit with a $500 fine and a 90 day jail sentence. In 1991, Adams spent a year in jail for assault. Adams also was booked on multiple occasions for DUI. In April, 2000, Adams and his then-girlfriend, Linda Kaphengst, were found unconscious due to a drug overdose. Linda died, and Chris faced serious charges. Adams was convicted of manslaughter in Linda’s death. He was facing up to 20 years in prison. He didn’t live long enough to serve time.
On October 7, 2001, Adams went to visit a friend in Waxahachie, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. In an intoxicated state, Adams and his “friend” got into an argument. The “friend” pulled a gun and shot Adams in the chest. Adams died later that day at a local hospital.
Influences:
Adams was one of the first wrestlers to utilize the “Sharpshooter” as a finisher. In 1985, Adams debuted his “Superlock” finisher. While he didn’t use it long, he did teach it to Steve “Sting” Borden, when they both worked in the UWF.
Adams’ list of people that Adams helped to train is awesome: John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Sting, Scott Hall, Booker T, Steve Austin, “The Patriot” Del Wilkes, ‘Kishi, Paul Diamond and Shawn Michaels. Adams is credited as the man who taught Michaels the Superkick/Sweet Chin Music.
While Adams lived a destructive lifestyle that eventually led to his early death, his positive influences will be felt for generations to come. Those that Adams trained have now begun to train others. Adams could be deemed as one of the grandfathers of the modern-era. He definitely deserves the title of Legend of Yesteryear.
