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Robert Howard
ActorBorn January 29, 1963 (61 years)
Robert William Howard is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring names Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, Bob Holly, Bombastic Bob and Hardcore Holly. After debuting in 1990, Holly worked for Smoky Mountain Wrestling and other independent promotions, before joining WWE full-time in 1994. Initially portraying the character of a NASCAR driver, Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, his name was soon changed to Bob "Spark Plug" Holly, before forming a team with Bodacious Bart, known as The New Midnight Express in 1998. After becoming known simply as "Hardcore Holly" in 1999, he was joined by on-screen cousins, Crash and Molly. In 2002, he suffered a broken neck, which sidelined him for over a year. Upon his return, he engaged in minor feuds with wrestlers such as Mr. Kennedy and Rob Van Dam, before forming a tag team with Cody Rhodes in 2007. Holly was released from WWE in 2009. During his career, Holly has held the WWF/E Hardcore Championship six times, the WWF/E Tag Team Championship three times (with 1–2–3 Kid, Crash Holly and Cody Rhodes), and the NWA World Tag Team Championship once with Bart Gunn. Howard's autobiography, titled The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story was released in the United States on April 1, 2013. Co-authored by former British wrestler Ross Owen Williams, an actor and writer[63] who wrestled Holly in June 2010, it was published by ECW Press.
Reviews of the book were positive, with Nolan Howell of Canoe.com describing it as a "straightforward look into the life of a man that has dedicated himself to the sport of professional wrestling" and has "an endearing, personal style that gives an apt representation of the author...For fans such as myself who appreciated the blunt style of the man known as Hardcore Holly, this ECW Press product will be an entertaining, worthwhile look into one of the unique personalities of professional wrestling." Joe Babinsack, writing for the Wrestling Observer, described the book as "brutal, boisterous and definitely worth reading". Bruce Mitchell, writing for the Pro Wrestling Torch, described the book as "hard-hitting, straightforward, and not very fancy", rating it "one of the strongest professional wrestling books in a long while". Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer wrote, "in a lot of books, you think you're reading what the person writing feels is the right thing to say for their career... With Holly, whether you agree or not (and I agreed with some of his stuff, not others), I had no doubt he was giving his true opinions on things. In that sense, it was a very honest look at a period of WWF history from a guy who had ups and downs... but survived a long time."
Reviews of the book were positive, with Nolan Howell of Canoe.com describing it as a "straightforward look into the life of a man that has dedicated himself to the sport of professional wrestling" and has "an endearing, personal style that gives an apt representation of the author...For fans such as myself who appreciated the blunt style of the man known as Hardcore Holly, this ECW Press product will be an entertaining, worthwhile look into one of the unique personalities of professional wrestling." Joe Babinsack, writing for the Wrestling Observer, described the book as "brutal, boisterous and definitely worth reading". Bruce Mitchell, writing for the Pro Wrestling Torch, described the book as "hard-hitting, straightforward, and not very fancy", rating it "one of the strongest professional wrestling books in a long while". Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer wrote, "in a lot of books, you think you're reading what the person writing feels is the right thing to say for their career... With Holly, whether you agree or not (and I agreed with some of his stuff, not others), I had no doubt he was giving his true opinions on things. In that sense, it was a very honest look at a period of WWF history from a guy who had ups and downs... but survived a long time."
Filmography
| 2021 | The Best of WWE: Best of Bobby Lashley · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2021 | The Best of WWE: The Best of the APA · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2021 | The Best of WWE: Attitude Era Royal Rumble Matches · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2019 | WWE's The Bump (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2016 | |
| 2014 | WWE: The Attitude Era - Vol. 2 · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2013 | TNA One Night Only: Hardcore Justice 2 · as Bob Holly |
| 2013 | WWE for All Mankind: Life & Career of Mick Foley · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2013 | TNA One Night Only (TV Series) · as Bob Holly |
| 2012 | |
| 2011 | The Big Show: A Giant's World · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2011 | Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2010 | Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010 · as Hardcore Holly (archive Footage) |
| 2010 | WWE: Satan's Prison - The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2009 | The Marine 2 · as Linwood's Left |
| 2008 | WWE: The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2008 | Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2008 | The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2008 | WWE Night of Champions · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2008 | WrestleMania XXIV · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2008 | WWE Live in the UK: October 2007 · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2008 | WWE Royal Rumble · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2007 | Survivor Series · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2007 | WWE Draft Special · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2007 | WWE One Night Stand · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2007 | Royal Rumble · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2006 | ECW December to Dismember · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2006 | Summerslam · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2006 | ECW on Sci Fi (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2006 | WrestleMania 22 · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | WWE Survivor Series · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | |
| 2005 | Jake 'the Snake' Roberts: Pick Your Poison · as Bob 'spark Plugg' Holly |
| 2005 | WWE Taboo Tuesday · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | WWE No Mercy · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | The 70's House (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | WWE Judgment Day · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | WrestleMania 21 · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | WWE No Way Out · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2005 | WWE Royal Rumble · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | WWE Tribute to the Troops · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | WWE Armageddon · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | The Rise & Fall of ECW · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story · as Bob Holly |
| 2004 | WWE Great American Bash · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | WWE Judgment Day · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | WrestleMania XX · as Bob Holly |
| 2004 | WWE No Way Out · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2004 | Royal Rumble · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2003 | Survivor Series · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2002 | WWE Global Warning Tour: Melbourne · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2002 | WWE Velocity (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2002 | WWF Divas: Tropical Pleasure · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2002 | WrestleMania X8 · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2002 | Before They Were WWF Superstars · as Bob 'spark Plugg' Holly |
| 2001 | WWF: Action! · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2001 | WWF: Hardcore · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2001 | WWE Tough Enough (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2001 | WWF Judgment Day · as Bob 'hardcore' Holly |
| 2001 | WWF Insurrextion · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2001 | WWF No Way Out · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2001 | Royal Rumble · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2001 | WWE: Undertaker - This Is My Yard · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2000 | WWF Armageddon · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2000 | Survivor Series · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2000 | King of the Ring · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2000 | WWF Backlash · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2000 | WrestleMania 2000 · as Hardcore Holly |
| 2000 | Operation Sandman · as Sturner |
| 2000 | Royal Rumble · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF Armageddon · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | Survivor Series · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF No Mercy · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF Rebellion · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | Summerslam · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF Jakked/Metal (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | ECW on TNN (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | Fully Loaded · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | King of the Ring · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF Over the Edge · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWE SmackDown (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF Backlash · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WrestleMania XV · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1999 | WWF St. Valentine's Day Massacre · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1998 | Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows · as Bob 'spark Plugg' Holly (archive Footage) |
| 1998 | WWF Rock Bottom: In Your House · as Bob Holly |
| 1998 | WWE Heat (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1998 | King of the Ring · as "bombastic" Bob Holly |
| 1998 | WWF Unforgiven · as "bombastic" Bob |
| 1998 | WrestleMania XIV · as "bombastic" Bob Holly |
| 1997 | WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (TV Series) · as Bob Holly |
| 1996 | Survivor Series · as Bob Holly (free-For-All) |
| 1996 | Royal Rumble · as Bob Holly |
| 1996 | WWF 1995: The Year in Review · as Bob Holly |
| 1995 | Survivor Series · as Bob Holly |
| 1995 | WWF in Your House 4 · as Bob Holly |
| 1995 | Summerslam · as Bob "spark Plug" Holly |
| 1995 | WWF in Your House 2 · as Bob Holly |
| 1995 | King of the Ring · as Bob "spark Plug" Holly |
| 1995 | WWF in Your House · as Bob Holly |
| 1995 | Royal Rumble · as Bob "spark Plugg" Holly |
| 1994 | WWF Action Zone (TV Series) · as Bob 'spark Plugg' Holly |
| 1994 | WrestleMania X · as Bob 'spark Plugg' Holly |
| 1994 | Royal Rumble · as Thurman "sparky " Plugg |
| 1993 | ECW Hardcore TV (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |
| 1993 | WWE Raw (TV Series) · as Bob Holly |
| 1986 | WWF Wrestling Challenge (TV Series) · as Bob Holly |
| 1986 | WWF Superstars (TV Series) · as Thurman Sparky Plugg |
| 1985 | WWF Saturday Night's Main Event (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly |