Tornado (wrestler)

Tornado

A bloody Tornado during one of his battles
Birth name Steve Debbes
Born (1966-04-03) April 3, 1966
Johannesburg, South Africa
Residence Johannesburg, South Africa
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Tornado
Tornado II
Scorpio
Dynamite Kid
Amigo Kid
Billed height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight 242 lb (110 kg)
Billed from Johannesburg, South Africa
Trained by Don Charles
Wild Bill Murphy
Debut 1986

Steve Debbes, better known by his ring name Tornado, is a South African professional wrestler performing for World Wrestling Professionals. He is the current 2-time WWP Heavyweight World Champion and the longest-reigning title holder in the championship's history.[1][2][3]

Career

Early life

Steve Debbes was a former amateur wrestler and Judoka, starting his athletic career at the age of 11. He received Springbok Colours for his amateur wrestling achievements, becoming the youngest South African to do so at the time. He was trained by Don Charles and Wild Bill Murphy and at the age of 18 he turned professional, debuting under his real name in 1986.[4]

All Stars Wrestling (1990-1999)

In the early 1990s, wrestling for All Stars Wrestling, he donned the Tornado II gimmick after Danie Brits, the original Tornado, passed it onto him. In his early career he traveled extensively overseas in order to gain experience. Some of the countries he toured included Mexico, USA, Japan and Russia. In 1994, he unmasked for the first time during a match against Steve Austin that took place at the Sun City Superbowl.[5] In 1998, he took part in South Africa's first-ever barbed-wire match against Jacques Roque.

International Wrestling Federation (1999-2004)

In 1999, shortly after the death of close friend Paul Lloyd, Sr., who was the promoter of All Stars Wrestling, Tornado unmasked himself permanently in honour of his passing and took over the operations of the promotion.[6] At the time International Wrestling Federation: South Africa served as a feeder system to All Stars Wrestling, producing young talent such as Paul Lloyd Sr.'s son and former WWE wrestler Justin Gabriel. Tornado decided to combine All Stars Wrestling with IWF:SA under the IWF banner.

He became the IWF Heavyweight Champion in 2000 and went on to win the IWF-sanctioned All Africa Championship five times.

World Wrestling Professionals (2004-Present)

In 2004, IWF closed down due to a new Port Elizabeth-based promotion, World Wrestling Professionals, securing a major national television deal with SABC2 and hiring wrestlers from all over the country, including Tornado who had close ties to the promoter of WWP, Mark Beale. Around this period Tornado was still operating the IWF training camp and he tutored many of this generation's top professional wrestlers in South Africa. Tornado captured the WWP World Heavyweight Title in 2005 on the first episode of WWP Thunderstrike. He defeated the Van Der Westhuizen brothers in a handicap match a few weeks later to win the WWP World Tag Team Titles before losing it again to the same tag team.

In 2008, he headlined WWP's Carnival City show in a Steel Cage match against Vincent Skull, a show that drew a record paid crowd for a South African wrestling show. He lost the WWP World Heavyweight Championship after a multi-year reign to newcomer Dameon Duke, who is now signed to WWE. He won the WWP World Tag Team Championship for the second time in February 2009, subsequently losing it to The French Connection in September of that same year. On July 11, 2009, in front of another record crowd of 20,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tornado defeated Dameon Duke to win the vacant WWP World Heavyweight Title, becoming a 2-time champion. Tornado had a dominant run on 100% De Dana Dan, a television show airing nationally in India on Colours TV.

Personal life

Tornado's wife and daughter and son are also involved in wrestling. [7]

In wrestling

Tornado executing the Tornadosault

Championships and accomplishments

  • IWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • PWI ranked him #448 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in 1993.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Tornado Profile". World Wrestling Professionals.
  2. ↑ "South Africa's top professional wrestlers arrive in Nigeria". Nigeria Sport.
  3. ↑ "S-African Tornado eyes Ultimate Commander's title". Nigeria Tribune.
  4. ↑ "Tornado Profile". World Wrestling Professionals.
  5. ↑ "SA's Strongmen Can't Stop Foreign Invasion". Mail & Guardian Online.
  6. ↑ "Promoter shot dead in love triangle". IOL.co.za.
  7. ↑ "The Herald: Wrestling royalty in Bay". The Herald.
  8. ↑ "Ranked No 448 in the PWI 500 of 1993". Wrestling Information Archive.
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