Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)

Kevin Francis Sullivan (born October 26, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in World Championship Wrestling.

Sullivan had been an amateur wrestler in the Boston area, and was not trained professionally.

His first professional match was in Montreal, beating Fernand Frechette.

Sullivan wrestled as "Johnny West" in the National Wrestling Alliance's Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling in the early 1970s, capturing the NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship with Ken Lucas, defeating Jack Morrell and Eddie Sullivan on March 11, 1971.

Next, he went to Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) in 1972 and captured the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Graham.

He then went north to join the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) as a mid-card face from 1974 to 1977.

He had a (rare for the time) face versus face battle with Pete Sanchez on a Madison Square Garden undercard.

Sullivan also wrestled as a face for promoter Roy Shire's Big Time Wrestling in San Francisco.

Wrestling for Georgia Championship Wrestling, Sullivan and partner Austin Idol challenged The Fabulous Freebirds for the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship in November 1980, during this feud was the angle where the Freebirds flattened all four of Idol's tires to prevent him and Sullivan from wrestling for the titles (though Idol only mentioned a single flat tire).

Sullivan also worked in CWF as a face until the early 1980s.

His first heel turn was in Georgia in late 1980, when he won the NWA National Television Championship from Steve Keirn on November 29, after Sullivan attacked Keirn during the match while Keirn was re-entering the ring.

Sullivan would lose the belt to Steve O on January 16, 1981, due to outside interference by Keirn.

From April to July 1981, Sullivan wrestled as a heel in the Memphis territory, where alongside Wayne Ferris (The Honky Tonk Man) and manager Jimmy Hart he battled the local faces including Jerry Lawler, while also continuing his feud with Keirn, who also was wrestling in Memphis at the time.

Sullivan returned to Georgia as a heel in November 1981, but turned face by late-March 1982, feuding with Buzz Sawyer while in the Georgia territory before returning to Florida again to wrestle for Eddie Graham.

Known as the heel "Boston Battler", Sullivan's "Prince of Darkness" gimmick started during this time, adopting the persona of an occultist and cult leader who would invoke the powers of dark spirits in promos and matches.

The gimmick was inspired by the then-ongoing Satanic panic.

In CWF he became associated with "Maniac" Mark Lewin (Purple Haze), Mike Davis, Bob Roop, The Lock and Luna Vachon and others as the Army of Darkness.

His biggest rivals during this time included Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, and his former partner Mike Graham.

Sullivan split his time with International Championship Wrestling and brought "The Prince of Darkness" gimmick there, along with Lewin and Roop.

He had the Fallen Angel as his valet, who later became known as Woman.

Sullivan was the top heel in ICW when the company first went national and had noted feuds with Austin Idol, Superstar Billy Graham, Bruiser Brody, Joe Savoldi and Blackjack Mulligan.

Sullivan formed The Varsity Club upon arrival in Jim Crockett Promotions with Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner.

They immediately started feuding with Jimmy Garvin because Sullivan wanted Garvin's wife Precious for himself.

This feud lasted a while with Sullivan kayfabe breaking Garvin's leg at one point.

Steiner left the group and was replaced by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Dan Spivey.

They feuded with Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors, Rick Steiner and Eddie Gilbert.

Sullivan even attacked Gilbert's wife Missy Hyatt.

By late 1989, the Varsity Club was gone, and Sullivan formed the stable "Sullivan's Slaughterhouse" with Cactus Jack and Buzz Sawyer (later replaced by Bam Bam Bigelow) to feud with Rotunda.

Sullivan took time off in late 1990 and returned in early 1991 as the manager of One Man Gang, Black Blood, and the Angel of Death.

They cut El Gigante's hair and had a brief feud.

Sullivan also was the masked Great Wizard briefly to manage Oz.

After his contract with WCW expired in August 1991, Sullivan worked in Japan, participating in FMW where he wrestled against Atsushi Onita with Ed Farhat, and later moved on to compete in W*ING.

Sullivan was in a feud with "Primetime" Brian Lee where after Lee's matches there would be a miniature tombstone brought to ringside.

During this feud he was known as The Master and enlisted the help of The Nightstalker and the Mongolian Mauler to soften up Lee.

After Lee defeated Nightstalker, he finally came face to face with The Master who was revealed to be Sullivan after he delivered a fireball to the face of Lee and was joined by Nightstalker in busting open Lee on live television.

Lee would return and finally get the upper hand on Sullivan in a Singapore Spike match with Sullivan which Lee won after Nightstalker accidentally hit Sullivan with the spike.

In September 1993, Sullivan – along with Woman – joined the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling.

He debuted at UltraClash, teaming with Abdullah The Butcher against Stan Hansen and Terry Funk in a bunkhouse match.

At NWA Bloodfest the following month, Sullivan faced Abdullah in a steel cage match that ended in a double disqualification.

Sullivan left SMW shortly after losing a match to Ronnie Garvin by DQ in March 1994.