History Wrestling / BobHolly

** The J.O.B. Squad, with Al Snow, [[Wrestling/TooColdScorpio 2 Cold Scorpio]], Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie and [[Characters/WWEAttitude "Gillberg"]]

* TheRunnerUpTakesItAll: In 1994, ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' named [[Characters/{{ECW}} ECW's 911]] "Rookie of the Year," with Holly coming in second, ahead of [[Wrestling/BallsMahoney Abbudah Singh (Balls Mahoney)]] and Wrestling/MikeyWhipwreck. While Mikey is the only one of those four to ever be a World Heavyweight Champion, Holly is easily the most famous out of all of them.

* SweetHomeAlabama: He's from there, Mobile, to be specific.

'''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born '''Robert William Howard''' on January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. Initially, Holly portrayed happy-go-lucky {{NASCAR}} racer turned wrestler Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, which failed to garner much success. During the second half of the decade, Holly became a member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad; the stable disbanded after Holly's win over Al Snow in one of the inaugural matches of the newly-created WWF Hardcore Championship, setting the tone for the [[GarbageWrestler hardcore wrestling]] division of WWF's Wrestling/AttitudeEra.

* StraightEdge: Is apparently this regarding alcohol and junk food, both in and out of character. One storyline with Simon Dean had him forced to eat a burger and fries, which he abhorred completely.

!!'''Tropes associated with Bob Holly:'''

* FanNickname: "Bobcore Holly" until he proved [[TookALevelInBadass he really is hardcore]]; "Baldcore Holly", thanks to ChrisJericho.

* HesBack: His 2003 return from a neck injury, during which he ran roughshod over several superstars, [[StoneColdSteveAustin Stone Cold]]-style, notably choking out TheBigShow with a chair.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The infamously lackluster WWE Championship match with Lesnar was the result of Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels's match on the card going on for longer than originally planned. Holly's relatively meticulously planned match was thrown right out of the window, denying the match any sense of identity it may have had and rendering it an afterthought.
** The degree of seriousness with which it was treated by Creative is up to debate, but Holly was told he would be Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's representative in Vinnie Mac's infamous hair vs. hair match with DonaldTrump at WrestleMania 23.

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note*This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the [[{{Wrestling/MattHardy}} Matt]]-[[Wrestling/{{Lita}} Lita]]-[[Wrestling/{{Edge}} Edge]] mess in 2005. [[/note]]

Born '''Robert William Howard''', better known under the name '''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. Initially, Holly portrayed happy-go-lucky {{NASCAR}} racer turned wrestler Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, which failed to garner much success. During the second half of the decade, Holly became a member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad; the stable disbanded after Holly's win over Al Snow in one of the inaugural matches of the newly-created WWF Hardcore Championship, setting the tone for the [[GarbageWrestler hardcore wrestling]] division of WWF's Wrestling/AttitudeEra.

Having thus earned his moniker of "Hardcore", Holly would capture the Hardcore Championship five more times, becoming one of the relatively few holders of that to boast respectable, lengthy title reigns. Holly would later form a minor stable together with (kayfabe) cousins Crash and Wrestling/MollyHolly. After the stable's dissolution, Holly would spend the remainder of his WWE career in and out of action with various injuries ([[HoistByHisOwnPetard not always caused by others]]), in a main event feud with Wrestling/BrockLesnar, and only occasionally appearing in hardcore matches before backstage problems got him fired after fifteen years.

Holly remains a controversial topic due to his backstage reputation of maintaining a tough, "old-school" mentality regarding the training of rookies, having gone out of his way to physically abuse or haze new hirelings, which came back to bite him in the ass more than once. As per usual, TheOtherWiki has a detailed, lengthy [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Holly write-up]] on Holly's career, both the good and the bad.

* ADayInTheLimelight: His 2003/2004 main event feud with BrockLesnar was his biggest ever push.
* AerithAndBob: The Holly Cousins had Molly, Bob... and Crash.
* ArmorPiercingSlap: Delivered one to Wrestling/CodyRhodes during their feud, to "bring out the fire" in the rookie.

* {{Determinator}}: Sustained severe injuries in several matches, and ''finished them''. Possibly the most notable such occurrence would be his table match against Wrestling/RobVanDam in 2006, in which he sustained a ''huge'' gash on his back after a botched table landing. This is often described as one of the few moments of the "new" {{Main/ECW}} that lived up to that promotion's legacy.
** Broke his arm during a match with Kurt Angle and finished the match because as he said "The pain can't get much worse so i might as well finish"

* [[FailOSuckyName Fail O'Suckyname]]: Would ''you'' take a guy named Thurman "Sparky" Plugg seriously?

* FinishingMove: As Hardcore, he used the Alabama Slam (double leg slam), and for a time, the Hollycaust/Falcon Arrow (sitout suplex slam). Of course, in his heyday, the finishing move would more likely be [[GarbageWrestler innovative usage]] of [[ImprobableWeaponUser foreign objects]].

* HeelFaceTurn: Notably, he had one of his few periods of clear-cut character alignment after the aforementioned ECW injury due to having earned fans' adoration and respect.

* {{Jerkass}}: In ''and'' out of character.
* {{Jobber}}: When a part of the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin J.O.B. Squad]], as well as his Sparky Plugg days.

* KnightTemplar: His backstage reputation and conduct against rookies bear large shades of this.

* NoSell: Had a reputation for being extremely selective about whose moves he sells, particularly where rookies are involved. Infamously, this resulted in Lesnar breaking Holly's neck as a result of a botched powerbomb (see TooDumbToLive below).

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note]]This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the [[{{Wrestling/MattHardy}} Matt]]-[[Wrestling/{{Lita}} Lita]]-[[Wrestling/{{Edge}} Edge]] mess in 2005. [[/note]]

* StraightEdge: Is apparently this regarding junk food, both in and out of character. One storyline with Simon Dean had him forced to eat a burger and fries, which he abhorred completely.

* TooDumbToLive: An almost literal case. Holly, who had a reputation for sandbagging[[hottip:*: resisting an opponent's slam or related power move, either due to inexperience, or just being a jackass]] rookies' moves, decided [[WhatAnIdiot it would be a good idea to sandbag a powerbomb by Lesnar]]. The result? Lesnar, being the physical powerhouse he is, lifted him up anyway and dropped him right on his neck, breaking it and putting Holly on the shelf for thirteen months. Fortunately, the locker-room learned the moral of the story: Don't fuck with Wrestling/BrockLesnar. This is quite possibly the only time a wrestler has managed to get fans to react to a ''broken neck'' with "he deserved it."
* UnrelatedBrothers: Unrelated cousin of the late Crash Holly (and later, Wrestling/MollyHolly), with whom he even held the Tag Team Championship. Humorously, at one point the team's gimmick was to introduce themselves as "super-heavyweights" despite obviously not being so.

Born '''Robert William Howard''', '''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. Initially, Holly portrayed happy-go-lucky {{NASCAR}} racer turned wrestler Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, which failed to garner much success. During the second half of the decade, Holly became a member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad; the stable disbanded after Holly's win over Al Snow in one of the inaugural matches of the newly-created WWF Hardcore Championship, setting the tone for the [[GarbageWrestler hardcore wrestling]] division of WWF's Wrestling/AttitudeEra.

* FinishingMove: As Hardcore, he used the Alabama Slam (double leg slam), and for a time, the Hollycaust/Falcon Arrow (sitout suplex slam). Of course, in his heyday, the finishing move would more likely be [[GarbageWrestling innovative usage]] of [[ImprobableWeaponUser foreign objects]].

* TooDumbToLive: An almost literal case. Holly, who had a reputation for sandbagging[[hottip:*: resisting an opponent's slam or related power move, either due to inexperience, or just being a jackass]] rookies' moves, decided [[WhatAnIdiot it would be a good idea to sandbag a powerbomb by Lesnar]]. The result? Lesnar, being the physical powerhouse he is, lifted him up anyway and dropped him right on his neck, breaking it and putting Holly on the shelf for thirteen months. Fortunately, the locker-room learned the moral of the story: Don't fuck with BrockLesnar. This is quite possibly the only time a wrestler has managed to get fans to react to a ''broken neck'' with "he deserved it."
* UnrelatedBrothers: Unrelated cousin of the late Crash Holly (and later, Molly Holly), with whom he even held the Tag Team Championship. Humorously, at one point the team's gimmick was to introduce themselves as "super-heavyweights" despite obviously not being so.

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note]]This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the [[{{Wrestling/MattHardy}} Matt]]-Wrestling/{{Lita}}-Wrestling/{{Edge}} mess in 2005. [[/note]]

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note]]This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the [[Wrestling/MattHardy Matt]-[[Wrestling/{{Lita}}]-[[Wrestling/{{Edge}}]] mess in 2005.[[/note]]

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note]]This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the Wrestling/MattHardy-[=/=]Wrestling/{{Lita}}-[=/=]Wrestling/{{Edge}} mess in 2005.[[/note]]

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note]]This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the Wrestling/MattHardy[=/=]Wrestling/{{Lita}}[=/=]Wrestling/{{Edge}} mess in 2005.[[/note]]

** Back in 2000, he was in an off-screen relationship with the EMT Diva B.B. (real name Cathy Dingman) while he was in the process of divorcing his wife at the time. WWE canned Dingman for this, with Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys putting her through a table to send her out of WWE.[[note]]This obviously applies only to minor midcard characters, as opposed to the Wrestling/MattHardy-Wrestling/{{Lita}}-Wrestling/{{Edge}} mess in 2005.[[/note]]

Born ''Robert William Howardd''', '''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. Initially, Holly portrayed happy-go-lucky {{NASCAR}} racer turned wrestler Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, which failed to garner much success. During the second half of the decade, Holly became a member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad; the stable disbanded after Holly's win over Al Snow in one of the inaugural matches of the newly-created WWF Hardcore Championship, setting the tone for the [[GarbageWrestler hardcore wrestling]] division of WWF's Wrestling/AttitudeEra.

'''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. Initially, Holly portrayed happy-go-lucky {{NASCAR}} racer turned wrestler Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, which failed to garner much success. During the second half of the decade, Holly became a member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad; the stable disbanded after Holly's win over Al Snow in one of the inaugural matches of the newly-created WWF Hardcore Championship, setting the tone for the [[GarbageWrestler hardcore wrestling]] division of WWF's Wrestling/AttitudeEra.

* {{Main/Jobber}}: When a part of the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin J.O.B. Squad]], as well as his Sparky Plugg days.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: His feud with Lesnar. After all, he legitimately broke his neck.

* {{Determinator}}: Sustained severe injuries in several matches, and ''finished them''. Possibly the most notable such occurrence would be his table match against Wrestlin/RobVanDam in 2006, in which he sustained a ''huge'' gash on his back after a botched table landing. This is often described as one of the few moments of the "new" {{Main/ECW}} that lived up to that promotion's legacy.

* GameBreakingInjury: Defied with a vengeance! Aside from the aforementioned Determinator moment, he has survived at least one illness (a staph infection) that could have killed him.

->[[BadassBoast If [Crash Holly defended the Hardcore Championship] 24/7, I'm gonna do it 48/14]], and how I about I start with you? How about, I could start with you, right here, right now? It doesn't matter to me, MichaelCole, 'cause I will '''break your ass in half''', you little [[PrecisionFStrike shithead]]!
-> - ''WrestleMania 2000 post-match interview''

'''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. After progressing through several gimmick changes, from {{NASCAR}} racer Thurman "Sparky" Plugg to a nondescript member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad, Holly earned his nickname of "Hardcore" as a participant of numerous grueling hardcore matches during the AttitudeEra of the late '90s, being one of the relatively few holders of the Hardcore Championship to boast respectable, lengthy title reigns.

As per usual, TheOtherWiki has a detailed, lengthy [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Holly write-up]] on Holly's career, both the good and the bad.

* AerithAndBob:The Holly clan had Molly, Bob...and Crash
* ArmorPiercingSlap: Delivered one to CodyRhodes during their feud, to "bring out the fire" in the rookie.

* CatchPhrase: "I'm the Big Shot." Though it didn't really catch on...
* {{Determinator}}: Sustained severe injuries in several matches, and ''finished them''; possibly the most notable such occurrence being his table match against RobVanDam in 2006, in which he sustained a ''huge'' gash on his back after a botched table landing. This is often described as one of the few moments of the "new" {{Main/ECW}} that lived up to that promotion's legacy.
** On another level, thought the veracity of said claim is easily dispute since it was WWE.com that reported it, at various points during injury recovery, Holly is said to have refused taking painkillers.

* {{Determinator}}

* FinishingMove: The Alabama Slam ([[hottip:*:Double leg slam]]). To a lesser extent, the Falcon Arrow ([[hottip:*:Sitout suplex slam]]). Of course, in his heyday, the finishing move would more likely be [[GarbageWrestling innovative usage]] of [[ImprobableWeaponUser foreign objects]].
* FunWithAcronyms: '''S'''parky '''T'''hurman '''P'''lugg.

* KnightTemplar: His backstage reputation and conduct against rookies have large shades of this.

* NoSell: Had a reputation for being extremely selective about whose moves he sells, particularly where rookies are involved. Infamously, this resulted in Lesnar breaking Holly's neck as a result of a botched powerbomb that Holly intentionally "sandbagged" to spite Lesnar.

* RedBaron: "Hardcore". Also, "Hollywood" in Memphis and "The Big Shot". "Superstar" during his days in Alabama. "Bombastic" as part of the new midnight express.

* TooDumbToLive: An almost literal case. Holly, who had a reputation for sandbagging[[hottip:*: resisting an opponents slam or related power move, either do to inexperience or just being a jackass]] rookies' moves, decided [[WhatAnIdiot it would be a good idea to sandbag a powerbomb by Lesnar]]. The result? Lesnar, being the physical powerhouse he is, lifted him up anyway and dropped him right on his neck, breaking it and putting Holly on the shelf for thirteen months. Fortunately, the locker-room learned the moral of the story: Don't fuck with BrockLesnar. This is quite possibly the only time a wrestler has managed to get fans to react to a ''broken neck'' with "he deserved it."
* UnrelatedBrothers: Unrelated cousin of the late Crash Holly (and later, Wrestling/MollyHolly), with whom he even held the Tag Team Championship. Humorously, at one point the team's gimmick was to introduce themselves as "super-heavyweights" despite obviously not being so.

'''Bob "Hardcore" Holly''' (born January 29, 1963) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]], whose tenure with WWE [[LongRunner lasted from 1991 to 2008]]. After progressing through several gimmick changes, from NASCAR racer Thurman "Sparky" Plugg to a nondescript member of the tongue-in-cheek J.O.B. Squad, Holly earned his nickname of "Hardcore" as a participant of numerous grueling hardcore matches during the AttitudeEra of the late '90s, being one of the relatively few holders of the Hardcore Championship to boast respectable, lengthy title reigns.