Bulldog Brower

Richard T. Gland (September 17, 1933 – September 15, 1997), better known by his ring name Dick "Bulldog" Brower, was an American professional wrestler.

Bulldog Brower
Birth nameRichard T. Gland[1]
Born(1933-09-17)September 17, 1933[2]
Delaware, United States[3]
DiedSeptember 15, 1997(1997-09-15) (aged 63)[3]
Spouse(s)Susan Gland (his death)[1]
Children3[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bulldog Brower
Delaware Destroyer
Dick Brower
The Gestapo
Billed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Billed weight270 lb (120 kg; 19 st)
Debut1958[3]
Retired1988[3]

Early life

Gland served in the U.S. Marines and frequently visited his local YMCA.[4][5] He got into powerlifting after graduating from Wilmington High School in 1952.[1] However, Gland dropped out of chiropractic school to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.[3]

Professional wrestling career

Gland started his career in the Delaware territory in 1958 under the ring name the Delaware Destroyer,[3][6] however, other sources state that his debut was in 1960.[4][7] Brower, at one point, wrestled Terrible Ted and hit Haystacks Calhoun with a body slam.[7] In 1961, Brower traveled to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart in his promotion Stampede Wrestling.[3][6] Hart claimed that Brower wrestled Whipper Billy Watson over 500 times.[5] After his run in Stampede, Brower wrestled for Frank Tunney in Toronto from 1961 to 1974.[2] There, Brower won the NWA International Tag Team Championship five times,[8] including with Sweet Daddy Siki in 1962, and Johnny Valentine in February 1963.[4] He also worked for other promotions including the American Wrestling Association, NWA St. Louis, Big Time Wrestling in Detroit, and All-Star Wrestling in Montreal.

In 1966, Brower got a call from Vincent J. McMahon to be a heel in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. He enjoyed a lengthy feud with WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino, whom he main evented shows with over the next few years.[7][9] He also feuded with Bob Backlund, who, in his book Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion, described Brower as the least favorite man he ever had to wrestle for the championship.[10]

Brower also wrestled for the National Wrestling Federation (NWF), where he won the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship in 1970.[11] He went on to wrestle for World Championship Wrestling in Australia, where he won the NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship in 1972,[12] as well as the short-lived International Wrestling Association in the New York City area.[5]

Brower returned to the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1979 to 1982, where he was managed by Lou Albano.[4][7] He then traveled to Puerto Rico, where he competed for the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He and Luke Graham won their version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship,[13] before Brower retired from professional wrestling in 1988.[3][2][7]

Death

While with his son Richie, Gland fell and broke a hip, and was later found to have an infection in his chest.[5] After living with diabetes and going into a coma, Gland died on September 15, 1997, at the age of 63.[5][3][1] At the time of his death, Gland was divorced to Susan and had two daughters and a son, as well as four grandchildren.[1][6]

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. Hager, Mary (September 18, 1997). "Richard Gland, 63; 'Dick the Bulldog'". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  2. "Wrestler Profiles: Dick "The Bulldog" Brower". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  3. "Dick 'The Bulldog' Brower". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  4. Harris M. Lentz III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
  5. Johnson, Steven; Oliver, Greg (2010). Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. pp. 167–169. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  6. Cole, Glenn (September 17, 1997). "Bulldog Brower a legend". SLAM! Sports. Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  7. Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  8. "International Tag Team Title (Ontario)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  9. "Sammartino Takes Measure Of Bulldog Brower on Mat". The New York Times. November 17, 1970. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. Backlund, Bob; H. Miller, Robert (2015). Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion. Simon and Schuster. p. 362. ISBN 9781683584445.
  11. "NWF North American Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  12. "NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Title (Australia)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  13. "WWC North American Tag Team Title (Puerto Rico)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  14. Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  15. "NWF World Tag Team Title (Ohio/Upstate New York)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  16. Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "(Dallas) Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [Fritz Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 978-0-9698161-5-7.
  17. "World Brass Knuckles Title (Australia)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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