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Photo of Robert Howard

Robert Howard

Actor
Born 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."
Known For
  • Royal Rumble
  • Operation Sandman
  • Royal Rumble
  • ECW December to Dismember
  • WWE Velocity
  • Survivor Series
  • WWF Armageddon
  • The Best of WWE: Best of Bobby Lashley

Filmography

2021
2021
2021
2019
WWE's The Bump (TV Series) · as Hardcore Holly
2016
2014
WWE: The Attitude Era - Vol. 2 · as Hardcore Holly
2013
2013
2013
TNA One Night Only (TV Series) · as Bob Holly
2012
2011
The Big Show: A Giant's World · as Hardcore Holly
2011
2010
Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010 · as Hardcore Holly (archive Footage)
2010
2009
The Marine 2 · as Linwood's Left
2008
2008
2008
2008
WWE Night of Champions · as Hardcore Holly
2008
WrestleMania XXIV · as Hardcore Holly
2008
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
2006
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (TV Series) · 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
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
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
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
1998
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows · as Bob 'spark Plugg' Holly (archive Footage)
1998
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
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

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