Hack Meyers

Donald Haviland (December 7, 1973 – December 5, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers.[1] A mainstay in Florida independent promotions during the 1990s, he was best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996.

Hack Meyers
Hack Meyers in 2005
Birth nameDonald Haviland
Born(1973-12-07)December 7, 1973
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 2015(2015-12-05) (aged 41)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Hack Meyers
Admiral H. Oscar Meyers
Bronco Billy
Billed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Billed weight225 lb (102 kg)[1]
Billed fromThe Last House on the Left[1]
Trained byOscar Meyers[2]
DebutOctober 19, 1990[3]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1990–1993)

Haviland made his wrestling debut as Bronco Billy,[4] forming a tag team with Colt Starr known as The Texas Longhorns.[5] He wrestled in independent promotions for the next three years before signing with Eastern Championship Wrestling.

Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1996)

Meyers first appeared in ECW at a joint-promotional event between ECW and Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation on November 14, 1993, where he defeated Trent Young. He began full-time wrestling for ECW by making his debut on the February 15, 1994 episode of Hardcore TV by losing to Mr. Hughes. He wrestled mainly on the undercard. He had several matches against ECW's biggest superstars at ECW supercards, but he was never able to defeat ECW's top talent. Haviland's gimmick in ECW was "The Shah of ECW", a fan favorite. During any exchange of blows, fans would chant "Shah!" every time he landed a punch or kick, and "Shit!" when his opponent retaliated.[6]

In 1994, Meyers' made his first major appearance at the Ultimate Jeopardy event, where he teamed with Don E. Allen and Blue Max in a handicap match against 911, which 911 won.[7] He wrestled Tommy Dreamer at Hostile City Showdown, but was defeated.[1] At Heat Wave, he teamed with Rockin' Rebel in a loss to The Bad Breed (Ian and Axl Rotten).[1] This led to a series of matches between Meyers and Rebel, culminating in a showdown at Hardcore Heaven, which Meyers won.[1] He faced Chris Benoit in a losing effort at Holiday Hell.

Meyers found some success in mid-1995, winning at back-to-back supercards. He defeated Big Malley at Hardcore Heaven and Val Puccio at Heat Wave.[1] He lost to JT Smith at Wrestlepalooza but followed this up with an evenly split series of rematches.[1] Meyers faced the returning Sabu in a losing effort at November to Remember in one of the longest matches on the card.[8] He followed this up with a victory over Stevie Richards as well as supercard wins over Bruiser Mastino at December to Dismember and JT Smith at Holiday Hell 1995.[1]

He lost to Taz at the 1996 House Party and J.T. Smith at Big Ass Extreme Bash.[9][10] Meyers' final appearance in ECW for some time was a loss to 2 Cold Scorpio in a Loser Leaves Town match at November to Remember.[8]

Late career (1996–2011)

In May 1997, Meyers worked at least two matches for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), losing to The Giant and The Barbarian.[11]

Meyers did return briefly to ECW, teaming with Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten in a six man tag team match versus The Dudley Boyz at Born to Be Wired on August 9, 1997. Meyers would take the pinfall, losing after receiving a 3D.

After leaving ECW he remained in the wrestling industry, working for various promotions, including WWF, IWA Mid-South, FCW, MLW, and MCW, among others.[11] He also trained wrestlers, such as Scoot Andrews and Travis Tomko.[1][12] He wrestled predominantly in the Florida independent circuit in the latter days of his career.

Death

On November 15, 2015, fellow ECW alumnus Axl Rotten tweeted that Haviland would undergo brain surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.[13] On December 5, 2015, Haviland died from complications of that surgery. He was two days away from his 42nd birthday.[14]

Championships and accomplishments
  • Florida State Professional Wrestling Association
    • FSPWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)[2]
  • Florida Wrestling Alliance
    • FWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[2]
  • Freestyle Championship Wrestling
    • FSCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[2]
  • Future of Wrestling
  • Hardkore Championship Wrestling
    • HCW Hardcore Championship (1 time)[15]
  • Independent Professional Wrestling
    • IPW Hardcore Championship (1 time)[2]
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him #314 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1999
  • Other titles
    • FWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[2]

See also

References
  1. "Wrestler Profiles: Hack Meyers". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  2. "Hack Meyers". Bodyslammin' 4Ever. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  3. "Wrestling Debuts - Part #2". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  4. "Hack Meyers Interview". Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  5. "Biography". Welcome to the Last House on the Left. Archived from the original on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  6. Powell, John (December 5, 2015). "Hack Meyers dead at age 41". prowrestling.net. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  7. "ECW Ultimate Jeopardy". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  8. "November to Remember". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  9. "ECW House Party". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  10. "Other ECW PPV Cards and Supercards". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  11. "Match Archive of Hack Meyers". Cagematch Database. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  12. "Wrestler Profiles: Tyson Tomko". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  13. Carrier, Steve. "ECW Original Hack Meyers Having Brain Surgery". Ringside News. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  14. Scherer, Dave (December 5, 2015). "Hack Meyers passes away". PWInsider.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  15. "HCW Title Histories". HCW Incredible8.com. Retrieved 2007-09-25.

Further reading
  • Loverro, Thom. The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006. ISBN 1-4165-1058-3
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