Debut of The Viking

[andrew8798]

From Wrestling Challenge 2-17-91

[johnnyk9]

HUSS! HUSS! HUSS! I loved the Bezerker

[simongr81]

John Nord was much better as The Barbarian. He was a LOT bigger in Mid-South than WWF. Was undoubtedly on the needle then.

[Woooooolhouse!]

I love how- at the beginning- Berzerker is marching around the ring all crazy-like with his sword, and the jobber runs to the corner and sticks his head through the ropes, like a heel would who doesn't want to lock-up. He did this to avoid a man coming at him WITH A SWORD.

[simongr81]

Hard to believe this same guy was having it out with Muhammad Ali a few years earlier ... And I was there ;D!

[navajomartian]

Got a couple of squash matches from 91 and thought, this guy was pretty harsh on the jobbers. He would throw them out then do a vaulting body press and sometimes it looked like he didn't do a whole lot to cushion the fall, well.........he cushioned his fall, but sometimes it looked like he was using the poor guy outside to do the cushioning.

[jeffrodigital]

Huss huss huss

[Throwback]

In an interview with Jim Duggan he said The Bezerker was basically a bruiser brody clone. I never saw Bruiser Brody. Is that true?

[navajomartian]

Apr 28, 2010 19:49:18 GMT -5 Throwback said:

In an interview with Jim Duggan he said The Bezerker was basically a bruiser brody clone. I never saw Bruiser Brody. Is that true?

Well, Brody's Jakks figure would of made for an easy Berzerker custom figure. They both liked the furry boots.

[spec]

Who or what was "HUSS"?

[lildude8218]

I remember thinking he was a face the first few times. That was until Mr. Fuji was suddenly in his corner one week. I still remember being a kid and going "Berzerker? NO! That's THE VIKING! Why are they calling him that?"

[navajomartian]

May 13, 2010 22:50:14 GMT -5 lildude8218 said:

I remember thinking he was a face the first few times. That was until Mr. Fuji was suddenly in his corner one week. I still remember being a kid and going "Berzerker? NO! That's THE VIKING! Why are they calling him that?"

Berzerker sounds less gimmicky I think, and it's more creative. Also, it was sort of a dumb idea to bring in the characte to begin with when you got The Barbarian dressing very similar.

[lildude8218]

May 14, 2010 3:37:03 GMT -5 navajomartian said:

May 13, 2010 22:50:14 GMT -5 lildude8218 said:

I remember thinking he was a face the first few times. That was until Mr. Fuji was suddenly in his corner one week. I still remember being a kid and going "Berzerker? NO! That's THE VIKING! Why are they calling him that?"

Berzerker sounds less gimmicky I think, and it's more creative. Also, it was sort of a dumb idea to bring in the characte to begin with when you got The Barbarian dressing very similar.

I was 7, none of that factored into my confusion.

[SAJ Forth]

Whoever thought this up must not have been sober

[SmarkyMark]

Berzerkers were actually viking warriors that were so wild in the heat of battle that they didn't require armor so the name 'Berzerker' fit the character better I think. Well, better than it did on Thundercats.

[turkeysandwich]

This is from Wikipedia:
"1997 when he showed up in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) with bleach blond hair under his real name, John Nord. He wrestled mainly on WCW Saturday Night and started a long winning streak that culminated with a match against another streak holder, Bill Goldberg, on July 4, 1998"

I remember when he showed up in WCW and thinking that he had been the Berzerker, but I only remember him appearing one or two times on Saturday Night and one or two times on Worldwide. And I watched ever show every week back then. I don't remember anything about a long winning streak or any buildup to Goldberg. And when he was on those shows they never really paid much attention to him, they would just talk about whatever the NWO was doing at the time.

[The Varsity Club]

Jun 25, 2010 18:34:30 GMT -5 SmarkyMark said:

Berzerkers were actually viking warriors that were so wild in the heat of battle that they didn't require armor so the name 'Berzerker' fit the character better I think. Well, better than it did on Thundercats.

no way in hell creative knew that....yea it was hokey...the thing i loved about the gimic was the fact he never pinned his opponetts instead getting count out victories after throwing them over the rope. I would say though Berzerker does have a solid place in wc history with his soward attack on the Undertaker. crap at its finest.

BTW, why did they ever switch him from Viking to Berkerzer...and i would assume there was no reference made to the name switch on tv

[andrew8798]

Aug 18, 2010 1:29:48 GMT -5 The Varsity Club said:

Jun 25, 2010 18:34:30 GMT -5 SmarkyMark said:

Berzerkers were actually viking warriors that were so wild in the heat of battle that they didn't require armor so the name 'Berzerker' fit the character better I think. Well, better than it did on Thundercats.

no way in hell creative knew that....yea it was hokey...the thing i loved about the gimic was the fact he never pinned his opponetts instead getting count out victories after throwing them over the rope. I would say though Berzerker does have a solid place in wc history with his soward attack on the Undertaker. crap at its finest.

BTW, why did they ever switch him from Viking to Berkerzer...and i would assume there was no reference made to the name switch on tv

Some Indy wrestler was already using the name The Viking

[Woooooolhouse!]

WWF brass DID know that. They included it in his "Superstar Profile" in WWF Magazine. Something along the lines of (in a quote from Mr. Fuji): "Mr. Fuji look at his Viking and realize he is no Viking; he is a Berzerker, the most fiercest of Vikings!"

That was the day I realized I could actually learn stuff by watching wrestling.