Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation
The Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (UCWF) is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an association for professional wrestlers who possess superhuman strength, endurance and resistance to injury.
| Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Thing #28 (Oct 1985) |
| Created by | Mike Carlin Ron Wilson |
| In-story information | |
| Type of business | Professional wrestling |
| Employee(s) | Armadillo Vance Astrovik Blacksmith Cataphrax Demolition Man Ikaris Jersey Devil Little John She-Thing Thing |
Overview
The UCWF was founded by a promoter named Edward Garner after a wrestler who he managed was banned from several existing professional wrestling organizations because he possessed superhuman strength. The UCWF is organized into "weight divisions"... not based on the wrestler's body weight, but on how much tonnage he can lift. The lowest division (for those with the strength to lift (press) two to ten tons) was phased out early in the Federation's history as not being "spectacular" enough.
Numerous superhuman individuals have fought in the UCWF at one time or another, including both those recognized as superheroes and supervillains. Prominent members have included The Thing, Justice (then known as Marvel Boy), and Demolition Man. The ranks of the UCWF have also included mutants, aliens, members of the Eternals (like Ikaris) and the Deviants, and many of the other varieties of super-strong beings from throughout the Marvel Universe.
By far the most common participants, however, have been those who have undergone the strength-augmenting treatment of the Power Broker, a quasi-legal corporation run by Curtiss Jackson that uses the fruits of the many mad scientists populating the Marvel universe. The process is somewhat risky, however, and many wind up deformed or with severe health problems as a result. Also, the Power Broker organization is not without its corruption; at times, they not only augment their clients, but inject them with highly addictive drugs in order to control them. As a result, many of the Unlimited Class wrestlers also find themselves moonlighting as supervillains. The Power Broker has also played a significant role in the lives of other villains and heroes, particularly the U.S. Agent.
After appointing a new general manager, Jim Jay McMayhew, UCWF is shown to become a more scripted sports entertainment version of itself much to the disappointment of former champion Ben Grimm.
Members
- Edward Gardner (President)[1]
- Armadillo (Antonio Rodriguez)[2]
- Vance Astrovik
- Beyonder[3]
- Blacksmith (Winslow Smith)[1]
- Demolition Dunphy (Dennis Dunphy)[1]
- Enigmo (Cataphrax)[4] - The Eternal, Cataphrax, took on the wrestling identity of Enigmo.
- Gator (Grant)[5] - mutated into lizard-man by gypsies
- Iceberg Ike (Ikaris)[6]
- Icepick[7]
- Jerome Johnson
- Jersey Devil (Don Remming)[8]
- Kid Stuff[9]
- Doc Hector Lennox
- Little John (John Lewandow)[10]
- Red Zeppelin
- Sawbones[7] - debuted as Doc Sawbones[9]
- Steamroller[7]
- She-Thing (Sharon Ventura)
- Thing (Benjamin J Grimm)[1]
Grapplers
The second incarnation of the all-girl group known as the Grapplers. This group is the female division of the Unlimited Class Wrestling. Most of them had their strength augmented by Power Broker[11]
- Auntie Freeze (Ann Fraley)[11] - leader; former professional wrestler in years past
- Battleaxe (Anita Ehren)[11] - later joined the Femizons
- Letha (Hellen Feliciano)[12] - former protégé of Auntie Freeze; she was killed by the Scourge of the Underworld at A Bar With No Name.[13] Letha was later among the seventeen criminals, all murdered by the Scourge, to be resurrected by Hood using the power of Dormammu as part of a squad assembled to eliminate the Punisher.[14]
- Poundcakes (Marian Pouncy)[12] - later joined the Femizons.
- Screaming Mimi (Melissa Gold)[11] - went on to become Songbird of the Thunderbolts.
- Titania (Davida DeVito)[12] - former protégé of Auntie Freeze; she was killed by the Scourge of the Underworld.[11] Titania was later among the seventeen criminals, all murdered by the Scourge, to be resurrected by Hood using the power of Dormammu as part of a squad assembled to eliminate the Punisher.[14] She was given seduction-based powers by the Hood, and has taken the name Lascivious.[15]
Power Tools
They all had their strength-augmented by Dr Karl Malus and became his agents[16]
References
- Thing #28 (Oct 1985)
- Captain America #316 (Apr 1986)
- Thing #30 (Dec 1985)
- Eternals vol. 2 #1 (Oct 1985)
- Thing #29
- Eternals (vol. 2) #1 (Oct 1985)
- Captain America #328
- Thing #29 (Nov 1985)
- Captain America #316
- Thing #34 (Apr 1986)
- Thing #33
- Marvel Two-In-One #54
- Captain America #319
- Punisher Vol. 7 #5
- http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=previews/marvelcomics/punisher/villains/PunisherVillains-8.jpg
- Avengers Spotlight #29
- Captain America #373
- Captain America #371
