Anyone who has ever taken an opponent to Suplex City owes a debt of gratitude to our next inductee, because he is The Suplex Master and he paved the road that they took to get there.
Gary Albright began his wrestling career in high school, capturing the Montana State title in 1980 and runner up in 81. He made his way to The University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he had a very successful career and still holds the record for most total falls in a single season. Among his other accomplishments as an amateur wrestler include Big 8 Champion, Big 8 All-Academic team member, NCAA Runner-up, U.S. team member, National Open Freestyle champion, and World Greco-Roman Elite champion.
After graduation Albright received training and mentoring from such legendary names as Billy Robinson, Danny Hodge and Lou Thesz. He got his big break in 1988 working for the Stampede territory when Brian Pillman recommended him to Stu Hart. After a short run as a babyface, he later adopted the heel persona of Pakistani Vokhan Singh and teamed with Makhani Singh, aka Mike Shaw, to form Karachi Vice. The duo saw great success even defeating The British Bulldogs for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship, which they eventually would lose to Biff Wellington and Chris Benoit. As Stampede Wrestling closed it’s doors in 1989, Albright would embark on international tours of Japan and South Africa before working the independent scene and making an appearance in WCW.
In 1991 his connection to Stampede Wrestling and an endorsement from Bruce Hart would assist him in getting signed to the newly formed UWF International. UWFi presented shoot style professional wrestling, which featured seemingly legitimate strikes, suplexes and submissions in pre-determined contests. He found success against such notable opponents as Nobuhiko Takata and Bad News Brown and while teaming with The Beast Dan Severn. His massive size, impressive amateur background and extensive arsenal of suplexes made him a force to be reckoned with, as he often won his matches in five minutes or less. When another dominant super-heavyweight appeared on the scene, promotors saw the opportunity for a dream match. That opportunity became reality when Gary Albright was booked in a program against Super Vader aka The Mastodon Big Van Vader. Their matches would draw sell out crowds and truly lived up to the title of “UWF International Dream Match”, however the company was struggling, so in 1995 The Suplex Master signed with All Japan Pro Wrestling. While in All Japan, Albright teamed with legendary names such as Sabu, Stan Hansen and Dr Death Steve Williams, even capturing tag team gold on several occasions with both Hansen and Williams. He wrapped up his run with New Japan in 1999 involved in feuds with Bart Gunn, Johnny Ace, Stan Hansen and Big Van Vader. It is also notable that during his time with the company he also made a one off appearance in ECW in 1996 at the Holiday Hell event.
Unfortunately Gary Albright passed away on January 7, 2000 when he collapsed in the ring during a World Xtreme Wrestling show. The official cause of death was ruled to be a heart attack and not related to wrestling. He left behind his wife Monica Anoa’i and their three children. Three months after his death, WXW and WWF held The Gary Albright Benefit Memorial Show in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The event featured wrestlers from both All-Japan Pro Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, as well as members of the Anoa’i family. The show was headlined by matches featuring Chris Jericho vs Eddie Guerrero and Rikishi vs Road Dogg. Close personal friend and family member The Rock opened the show with a remembrance and tribute to Albright.
Rarely do you find an individual that can enter the wrestling business and build a successful career on their own merits. Often times promoters will try to shoehorn them into a mold to fill a role that is needed for storyline purposes while other times the gimmick takes over the personality. Gary Albright was an exception. He never relied on his ties to the legendary Samoan Dynasty to succeed, he just did what he knew how to do- wrestle, and he was damn good at it. He had an amazing career on an international level and he did it on his own terms, and all while wearing the familiar scarlet and cream of his Husker singlet. Please join us in celebrating the legendary career of The Suplex Master Gary Albright and welcoming him to The Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
