Randy Thornton
| No. 94, 58 | |
|---|---|
| Position: |
Defensive back Defensive end Free safety Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | December 23, 1964 |
| Place of birth: | New Orleans, Louisiana, US |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | West Jefferson |
| College: | Houston |
| Career history | |
| |
Randy Thornton[1][2] (born December 23, 1964) is an American former football player and professional wrestler. He is also known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Big Swoll.
Football career
Thornton attended the University of Houston, where he played for the Houston Cougars as a defensive back and free safety between 1984 and 1987.
From 1988 to 1990, he played for the Denver Broncos as a linebacker. In 1990, he was sidelined with a knee injury. In 1990, he was courted by the New York Giants. He left the Broncos in the same year.
In the 1993 CFL season, he played for the Sacramento Gold Miners as a defensive end.
Professional wrestling career
| Swoll | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Randy Thornton |
| Born | December 23, 1964[3] |
| Residence | New Orleans, Louisiana, US[1][2] |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Swoll[1][2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 325 lb (147 kg; 23.2 st)[1][2] |
| Billed from | New Orleans, Louisiana, US |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans[1] |
| Debut | May 3, 1991[4] |
| Retired | 1999[1] |
Early career
Thornton trained as a wrestler under Brad Rheingans.
On May 3, 1991, he debuted in the American Wrestling Association, where he lost to Frank Andersson.[5] That same month, he toured New Japan Pro Wrestling and fought in a "Different Style Fight" against Shinya Hashimoto, which he lost in the second round.
World Championship Wrestling (1999)
In 1999, Thornton, under the ring name Swoll, debuted in World Championship Wrestling as a member of Master P's No Limit Soldiers.[1] The Soldiers immediately began a feud with The West Texas Rednecks due to the Rednecks' hatred of rap music. On June 13, 1999 at The Great American Bash, Swoll assisted fellow Soldiers Konnan and Rey Misterio, Jr. in defeating the Rednecks' Curt Hennig and Bobby Duncum, Jr..[6] On the June 24 episode of Thunder, Swoll made his in-ring debut as he and B.A. defeated Disorderly Conduct (Mean Mike and Tough Tom).[7] At Bash at the Beach, the Soldiers (Swoll, Konnan, B.A. and Misterio, Jr.) defeated the Rednecks (Hennig, Duncum, Jr. Barry Windham and Kendall Windham) in an elimination tag team match.[7][8] After defeating a few other teams over the next few weeks, Swoll and B.A. lost to the Windhams on the August 3 episode of Saturday Night, thus ending both Swoll's undefeated streak and the feud between the Soldiers and the Rednecks.[7] On the August 17 episode of Saturday Night, Swoll competed in his final match for WCW as he and B.A. defeated Hugh Morrus and Jerry Flynn via disqualification.[7] Thornton retired from professional wrestling immediately afterwards..
Retirement
After retiring from wrestling, Thornton began working for the American Center For Character and Cultural Education.[2] He is a born again Christian[1] and also speaks for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
- Nicknames
- "The Big Swoll"[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Cagematch profile".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Accelerator profile".
- ↑ "Randy Thornton's Football Database Profile".
- ↑ "WrestlingData profile".
- ↑ "WrestlingData match history of 1991".
- ↑ "The Great American Bash report on June 13, 1999".
- 1 2 3 4 "Cagematch match listings".
- 1 2 3 "Bash at the Beach report on July 11, 1999".
- ↑ "WCW Thunder report on August 5, 1999".
- ↑ "Lords of Pain coverage of Bash at the Beach".