Meatball (wrestler)

Richard Ellinger (born September 27, 1970), better known by his ring name Meatball, is an American professional wrestler who is signed to Micro Championship Wrestling.

Meatball
Birth nameRichard Ellinger
Born (1970-09-27) September 27, 1970[1][2][3]
River Grove, Cook County, Illinois, United States
Websitewww.mcwusa.us
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Giant Midget[1]
The World's Monster Midget[1]
Meatball
Billed height4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)[4][5][6]
Billed weight292 lb (132 kg)[4][5]
Billed fromChicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States[1][2][3]
Trained byNate Webb[1][2][3]
Pat Tanaka[4]
Debut2001[1][2][3]

Early life

Ellinger was born in River Grove, Illinois, United States.[2] His father, Richard Ellinger (1938-2020),[7] was of German descent, and his mother, Frances Schmidt (1942–2009), was of German-Italian descent. He has an elder sister, Valerie Caso (née Ellinger; born 1966), and two elder step-brothers, Thomas and Bill Morton, from his mother's second marriage to Earl Morton.[8]

Ellinger's mother and sister worked in the administrative side of a food chain, while his father worked in a lumber yard. Both his father and sister are two inches shorter than he is.[9]

Ellinger attended River Grove Rhodes Elementary School until 1985 and East Leyden High School until 1989.[10] After he left school, he traveled through the United States, Europe and Japan, which led to him taking a job as a cargo handler for a local airline from 1990 until 2009.[9]

Professional wrestling career

Ellinger is 4 feet 6 inches tall, billed at weighing 292 lbs[4][5] and adopts a brawler wrestling style.[2]

In 2001, Ellinger received basic wrestling training from Nate Webb, made his ring debut[1][3] and thereafter wrestled part-time on federations including National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Independent Wrestling Revolution (IWR) and World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA).[11] In August 2009, he joined Micro Championship Wrestling (MCW) and subsequently received training from Pat Tanaka.[4][5]

In May 2013, Ellinger returned full-time to his previous job as a cargo handler in between doing wrestling shows for MCW.[12][13]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2002 NWA: Total Nonstop Action Meatball 1 episode: "#1.5"
2004 MWF: Midgets Invade Sturgis Himself
2011 Hulk Hogan's Micro Championship Wrestling 2 episodes: "Johnny on the Spot", "Half the Size Twice the Violence"
Full Throttle Saloon 1 episode: "#3.4"

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References
  1. "Meatball". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  2. "Meatball". Cagematch. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  3. "Meatball". Obsessed With Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  4. Fields, Eugene W. (November 27, 2010). "Midget wrestlers prove size doesn't matter". California: Orange County Register. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  5. Moye, David (September 20, 2011). "Dwarf Wrestling Troupe 'Half-Pint Brawlers' Criticizes 'Hulk Hogan's Micro Wrestling Championship Wrestling' (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  6. "Superstars". Micro Championship Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2014. Meatball
  7. "Richard Ellinger Obituary (2020) | Chicago, IL".
  8. "Life Legacy". Springer Funeral Home. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  9. "Meatball (MCW)". Pop Tower. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  10. "Rich Ellinger Class of 1989". Classmates.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  11. "Meatball". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014. Matches
  12. Jones, Jack E. (September 20, 2011). "Interview Recap: Meatball From Micro Championship Wrestling". AgryMarks.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  13. "In Your Head Wrestling Radio - Hulk Hogan's MCW's Meatball". gpodder.net. September 15, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
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