Allen Sarven
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
Allen Sarven (born July 18, 1963 in Lima, Ohio) is a professional wrestler better known by his stage name of Al Snow.
Contents |
Career
In the mid-1990s, following a notable term in Smokey Mountain Wrestling, Starven began his career in the WWF under numerous gimmicks such as Avatar (Which was supposed to be an unusual superhero gimmick with Sarven putting on a mask before the match) and Shinobi. (Which was a generic Ninja-style gimmick) Sarven received his first mainstream exposure with the WWF as Leif Cassidy, the heel tag team partner of legendary tag team wrestler Marty Jannetty. The duo was promoted as "The New Rockers", a throwback to the 1980s team of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. Eventually, the storyline was dropped and Sarven was reduced to jobbing for mid-carders. In the late 1990s, WWF and ECW began to cross-promote their organizations to counteract the success of WCW. One of the wrestlers sent to wrestle in ECW was Sarven.
Within this new environment, Sarven found success as the character Al Snow. In this role, Sarven received a lot of fan and management support for his Job Squad storyline, which promoted him as being angry with and driven mad by his years as a jobber for WWF. He would come to the ring with a mannequin head that he talked to as if it were a real person, which in turn prompted ECW crowds to chant "We want head", an intentional double entendre. His popularity was enhanced with his choice of entrance music, "Breathe," performed by The Prodigy. ECW promoters handed out plain mannequin heads out at wrestling shows, and audience members started waving them and shouting, "Head! Head! Head! Head!" in time to his entrance music. Then the entire audience threw the heads into the ring before the match started.
Just two days before he was booked to win the ECW Championship, Sarven was recalled to WWF, where he continued his gimmick of talking to "Head" creating some of the most memorable (and hilarious) skits of the "Attitude" era, injecting comedy relief into the shows. During that period he turned face. At one point he teamed with the all-too-serious Steve Blackman as an odd couple tag team called "Head Cheese" (because of Snow's attempt to get Steve to wear a Green Bay Packers "Cheese" hat). Later he would side with Mick Foley, but turned heel again by betraying him. He would later turn face due to fan reaction. He would then draft to Raw during the first draft. When Jonathan Coachman was in a match against Lawler, Al Snow turned heel once more by turning on Lawler thus giving Coachman to pick up the win. During that time Snow and Coachman sided with each other and loved to mock J.R. and Lawler. When the 4th Tough enough came on Smackdown! Al Snow drafted there and turned face once more.
Since then, Sarven, who still uses the Snow character, has enjoyed some mid-card success in WWE, and has performed an on-air role as a commentator for Sunday Night Heat and most recently Ohio Valley Wrestling. He has made the most impact in the WWE as lead trainer on the promotion's reality show Tough Enough.
His last on screen appearance was with Head at ECW One Night Stand 2005.
Snow was often the butt of Mick Foley's jokes during Foley's tenure as WWF Commissioner in 2000. Foley also rips on Snow in his autobiography Have a Nice Day! A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, although they are close friends in real life.
In wrestling
Previous managers
- Jim Cornette
- Skandor Akbar
- Jerry Lawler
- Head (Al Snow's former manager)
- Jonathan Coachman
- Pepper the dog
Previous identities
- Al Snow
- "Alluring" Al Snow
- Avatar
- The Five Star Ninja
- Leif Cassidy
- Shinobi
- "The Snowman" Al Snow
- Steve Moore
Finishing and signature moves
- Snow Plow (Scoop brainbuster)
- Moonsault
- Snowplex (Wheelbarrow suplex)
- Asai moonsault
- Diving leg drop
- Trapping headbutts
- Snowbomb {Sit-out ura-nage spinebuster}
- DDT
- Clothesline
- Dragon Sleeper
Championships and accomplishments
World Wrestling Entertainment
- 1-Time WWF World Tag Team Champion with Mankind
- 6-Time WWF Hardcore Champion
- 1-Time WWF European Champion
Other titles
- 1-Time Motor City Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time Motor City Wrestling Tag Team Champion (with Denny Kass)
- 5-Time ICW United States Tag Team Champion (with ?)
- 2-Time Midwest Tag Team Champion (with ?)
- 1-Time Midwest Territories Heavyweight Champion
- 2-Time GWA Tag Team Champion (with ?)
- 1-Time GWA Junior Heavyweight Champion
- GWA BodySlammers Tourney Winner (1994)
- 2-Time MTW Heavyweight Title (first-ever)
- 1-Time MTW Tag Team Champion (with Ray Roberts)
- 1-Time BCW Can-Am Tag Team Champion (with Denny Kass)
- 1-Time WWA World Tag Team Champion (with Mickey Doyle)
- 1-Time SMW Tag Team Champion (with Unibomb (AKA Kane))
- 1-Time JAPW Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time USA Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 329 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 1996 Most Underrated Wrestler
Job titles
- Co-host of Sunday Night Heat
- WWE RAW Commentator
- Head Tough Enough Trainer
- Trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling
Trivia
- Sarven is well trained in martial arts, mat grappling, free style, hardcore, and shoot-fight wrestling. He was one of trainers of professional wrestler/mixed martial artist Dan "The Beast" Severn when Severn participated in 4 Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. He was even booked as "The Ultimate Fighter" Al Snow during a match between him and Chris Benoit.