Brad Rheingans

Brad Rheingans

Bradley Bert "Brad" Rheingans (born December 13, 1953 in Appleton , Swift County , Minnesota ) is a former American wrestler .

Career

Career as a wrestler

Brad Rheingans attended North Dakota State University after high school and developed into an excellent wrestler in the Greco-Roman style. He started at several USA championships of the AAU and won two national titles. He was also sent to international championships. However, the Soviet athlete Nikolai Balboschin, who was considered unbeatable at the time, was usually his final destination there. His greatest achievement was winning the 1976 Olympic bronze medal in Montreal in the heavyweight division. In 1980 Rheingans had again qualified for participation in the Olympic Games in Moscow , but could not take part because of the Olympic boycott of the Western world. Frustrated, he then joined the wrestlers , the American version of professional wrestling.

Career as a wrestler

Rheingans appeared from 1981 until the league was closed in 1991 for the American Wrestling Association (AWA). In 1981 the wrestling magazine "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" named him newcomer of the year. The AWA let Rheingans compete in several fights against their reigning title holder Nick Bockwinkel . Between March 1989 and September 1989 Rheingans held the AWA tag team title as “The Olympians” together with the former weightlifting Olympic participant Ken Patera . Together with Baron von Raschke , who was also a former world class wrestler under his real name James Raschke, Rheingans temporarily held the Tag Team Belt of the Liga Pro Wrestling America . Rheingans also had a brief stint with the World Wrestling Federation , as well as appearances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling . He ended his wrestling career in 1994 after appearing in minor independent leagues in Minnesota.

Rheingans had already worked as a trainer during his wrestling career and opened a wrestling school after his career ended. His students include well-known wrestlers like Big Van Vader and John "Bradshaw" Layfield .

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, S = heavyweight, up to 100 kg body weight, GR = Greco-Roman style)

• 1975, 1st place , Panamerican Games in Mexico City , GR, S, ahead of Daniel Vernik, Argentina and Lupe Lara, Cuba ;
• 1975, 9th place , World Championships in Minsk , GR, S, after defeats against Zdenek Chara, CSSR and Nikolai Balboschin , Soviet Union ;
• 1976, 4th place , OS in Montreal , GR, S, with victories over Andrzej Skrzydlewski , Poland , Bahram Moshtopi, Iran , Tore Hem, Norway and one defeat against Balboschin;
• 1978, 4th place , World Cup in Mexico City , GR, S, with victories over Yasukasu Fujimoto, Japan and defeats against Refik Memišević , Yugoslavia and Balboschin;
• 1979, 1st place , Panamerican Games in San Juan , GR, S, ahead of Barbaro Morgan, Cuba and Raul Garcia, Mexico ;
• 1979, 3rd place , World Championship in San Diego , GR, S, with victories over Tamás Gáspár , Hungary , Vasile Andrei, Romania and defeats against Georgi Rajkow , Bulgaria and Balboschin

National successes

(NCAA = American University Sports Association)

• 1975, NCAA Champion, GR, S
• 2 × USA champions, GR, S

Web links

• Biography of wrestler Brad Rheingans in English
• Brad Rheingans in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )