The Twin Towers (professional wrestling)

The Twin Towers was the name of a professional wrestling tag-team who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1988 to 1990, consisting of Akeem and The Big Boss Man.[3]

This article is about the WWF tag team of the late 1980s. For the Jim Crockett Promotions tag team of the same name and era, see Lex Luger and Barry Windham.

The Twin Towers
Tag team
MembersAkeem
Big Boss Man
Slick (Manager)
Billed heightsAkeem:
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)[1]
Boss Man:
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[2]
Combined
billed weight		780 lb (354 kg)
Akeem: 450 lb (204 kg)[1]
Boss Man: 330 lb (150 kg)[2]
Debut1988
Disbanded1990

History

The Towers had before feuded with each other when the Big Boss Man was known as Big Bubba Rogers and Akeem was known as The One Man Gang in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), when Rogers defeated Gang to win the UWF World Heavyweight Championship.[4][5][6] This happened when Skandor Akbar who was managing Gang then deviously pitted Gang against Rogers who Akbar was also managing, for the UWF championship, Rogers then defeated Gang to win the title, and after Akbar then dumped Gang and continued to manage Rogers.[7]

Shortly after losing the UWF championship, Gang left the UWF and joined the WWF. In late 1988 when Slick was managing the One Man Gang (who had recently become Akeem "The African Dream") as well Rogers who had joined the WWF as The Big Boss Man. Slick then paired up Akeem with the Boss Man and billed them as The Twin Towers. The Towers would make their pay-per-view debut on November 24, 1988 as at the WWF 1988 Survivor Series captaining a team with Haku, Ted DiBiase, and The Red Rooster against a team captained by The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage), Hercules, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim in a five against five elimination match. The Towers' team lost and Hogan and Savage were the survivors of the match, but not before both received beat downs from The Towers.[8]

Attack and aftermath

While still teaming as the Towers, Boss Man and Akeem would have many single matches against Hogan and Savage. Then on a January 9, 1989 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, WWF World Heavyweight Champion Savage had a match against Akeem. When Savage delivered his diving elbow drop to Akeem and went to pin him, Boss Man then came and entered the ring and attacked Savage with his nightstick, and Akeem was disqualified. Hogan then ran down and attacked the Towers who then left the ring.[9] On January 7, 1989 When Hogan faced Akeem on Saturday Night's Main Event XIX, Boss Man again interfered in the match, and then Elizabeth who was the manager of the Mega Powers came to help Hogan, who was then followed by Savage, who then cleared the ring of the Towers.[10]

Also during January 1989 the Towers would achieve success, when they would score several wins over The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers). Weeks later on February 3, 1989 on The Main Event II, the Towers had a match against the Mega Powers, who were having dissension between them. During the match, Akeem threw Savage out of the ring and who then landed on top of Savage's manager Elizabeth, knocking her unconscious. When Hogan saw what happened, he left the match and carried Elizabeth from the ring to the medical area. When he returned to the ring, he wanted to tag Savage, but Savage, who was furious with being abandoned during the match and very angry that he had to face the Towers alone, then slapped Hogan in the face, and then left Hogan the face the Towers by himself. Hogan then defeated the Towers by himself and the Mega Powers won the match.

Two months later at WrestleMania V The Towers defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) after Akeem pinned Michaels following a powerbomb by the Boss Man and Akeem's own Air Africa finisher. The Towers also appeared on a 1989 WWF VHS coliseum home video cassette called WWF Fan Favorites where they wrestled and defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) by countout. Though the Towers were still wrestling as a team, Boss Man pursued the WWF world championship and wrestled a major singles match, when he received a title shot against the new WWF champion Hulk Hogan after Hogan regained the WWF World Title from Savage at WrestleMania V, after the Mega Powers disbanded.

On Saturday Night's Main Event XXI, Boss Man faced Hogan in a Steel Cage Match, and during the match Hogan superplexed Boss Man of the top of the cage, Boss Man ended up losing the match. Shortly after The Towers began a feud with the WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (Ax and Smash) as they pursued the tag-team title. The Towers would lose every house show match they had against Demolition, some by pinfall, and some by disqualification.[11] Even after Demolition lost the tag titles to The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), The Towers continued to feud with Demolition. The Towers teamed with André the Giant against Demolition and King Duggan at SummerSlam 1989 much to surprise of commentator Jesse Ventura, Demolition and Duggan won the match. During this time The Twin Towers and Slick would also make an appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show.[12]

At the 1989 Survivor Series The Towers were to team with The Honky Tonk Man and Rick Martel as a team called The Enforcers against a team called the Dream Team consisting of Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana, and the Red Rooster, but the Boss Man's partner Akeem but was replaced at the last moment by Bad News Brown.[13] The Enforcers lost the match, with the Boss Man the last one to be pinned by Rhodes.

During this time, the Boss Man was actually embroiled in a feud with Dusty Rhodes after Rhodes had stolen The Boss Man's nightstick and handcuffs.[13]

End of feud

Following the conclusion of his feud with Rhodes early 1990, The Boss Man became a face when "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase paid Slick to have the Boss Man retrieve the Million Dollar Championship belt from Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who had stolen it. On a February 24, 1990 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, The Boss Man retrieved a bag containing both the belt and Roberts' pet python, Damien. On The Brother Love Show, he refused to accept DiBiase's money for the bag, and returned it to Roberts.[14] After that the Towers disbanded.

Breakup and aftermath

Big Boss Man

After the Towers disbanded they once again feuded, Boss Man wrestled and defeated Akeem at WrestleMania VI in only 1:49 despite DiBiase (who had wrestled the previous match against Jake Roberts) sneak attacking The Big Boss Man before the bell had rung to begin the match. Boss Man again defeated Akeem on April 28, 1990 on episode 26 of Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI by disqualification. Subsequently, Boss Man later began teaming up with his former foe, Hulk Hogan, against many forces including being in Hogan's corner for his match against Earthquake at SummerSlam 1990, and was also on a team led by Hogan at the 1990 Survivor Series. He would leave the company in March 1993 and went to All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Boss Man later resurfaced in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in December 1993 as The Boss before being rebranded as The Guardian Angel. He subsequently turned heel and reverted to the Big Bubba Rogers identity, later shortened to Big Bubba. Then went to his real name jobbing for WCW. He left in early 1998. In September 1998 he returned to WWF and worked there until being released in 2003. He died on September 22, 2004 from a heart attack at 41 years old.

Akeem

After losing his feud with his former partner, Akeem dropped back down to mid-card status, and would later leave the WWF in October 1990, and in the process reverting to being the One Man Gang.[15] He wrestled in WCW in 1991, where he feuded with El Gigante. He later returned to WCW in 1995 and won the United States championship. He retired from wrestling in 2009.

Reunion

Gang and Bubba were both recruited to The Dungeon of Doom in early 1996.[16]

References
  1. "One Man Gang". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  2. "Big Boss Man". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  3. "Twin Towers". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  4. Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006). "UWF World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 234. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  5. "The Big Boss Man". www.accelerator3359.com. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  6. Wrestling Scene, February 1988 issue, p.45.
  7. Sports Review Wrestling, September 1987 issue, pp.26-27.
  8. "Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Koko B. Ware, Hillbilly Jim and Hercules def. Haku, Ted DiBiase, Akeem, The Red Rooster and Big Boss Man". WWE. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  9. Randy Savage vs Akeem WWF 89 YouTube video, January 8, 2009, retrieved October 16, 2016
  10. Hulk Hogan gets beat down by Akeem and Big Boss Man 1989 WWF report shows highlights from Saturday Nights Main Event, YouTube video, January 30, 2015, retrieved October 16, 2016
  11. "Matches " Twin Towers " Tag Teams Database " CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  12. Twin Towers tag team on The Arsenio Hall Show 1989, retrieved January 22, 2020
  13. "World Wrestling Entertainment Substitutions". AWT. November 23, 1989. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  14. WWF History - Big Boss Man (from heel to face) YouTube video, March 17, 2008, retrieved October 16, 2016
  15. Inside Wrestling, April 1991 issue, p.18.
  16. "Every Single WCW Dungeon Of Doom Member: Fired Retired WCW WWF Wrestlers Where Are They Now in 2018". Retrieved January 22, 2020 – via www.youtube.com. Event occurs at 12:25
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