Tony Atlas

[9.0] "Tony Atlas was a powerhouse with undeniable charisma and a trailblazing presence in the wrestling world. As one of WWE's first prominent Black stars, his strength and physique set him apart during his era. He found success as a tag team champion and remained a memorable personality thanks to his larger-than-life look and energy. I actually loved his role in the Abraham Washington show with his hysterical laugh, and he was a great manager for Mark Henry. His legacy and contributions to wrestling history are both important and lasting"

[8.0] "Another rewrite: Tony is a ying/yang type wrestler. On one hand you have his inspired work from the early to mid 80's. Here is where he could press slam a Buick (probably). He was usually charged up and full of explosive charisma. He was the hottest thing in the WWF/New York during '81-82. The crowds were HOT for him here and he looked outstanding. A real highlight from a mostly dull territory. He would go onto places like Mid South and had the same enthusiasm, but not quite the success. Looked phenomenal all through 83 though. I'm not sure where/when** but something happened and you'd be surprised with just how abysmally terrible some of his work was, and not just comparatively speaking. He still carried a certain charm though and was just so darn cute that he could get away with most of it. While his work deteriorated in the late 80's; he still had notable chemistry with Al Perez. Perez was able to pull out more of the no nonsense side of Tony & helped lesson the needless comedic spots he was shoe horning in at the time. Things began to worsen though and his Saba Simba run was notably horrible, his WCW tenure was at least unremarkable. But damnit I wanna pinch his cheeks cuz he's so darn likable! He showed his true colors in the Brody incident; a beautiful soul. While some of his bad is ...ugh, dire. His good is on fire! EDIT! **It was around the time he showed up at World Class that he started to fall off. I still really like him though - he has earned bonus points."

[4.0] "Rocky Johnson was the better of their tag team. Atlas was the typical strong guy, punchy, kicky, slammy stuff. Okay for the early 80's but by the time Hogan started taking off, he was kind of old fashion and out of place with the new crop of over the top comic book characters coming up."

[8.0] "Tony Atlas is a legend. First African American tag team champions with Rocky Johnson. Had the look and the strength needed to be a big star. Had good charisma before getting put into the Saba Simba character. Age caught up with him at the end of his WWE career and for his WCW career."

[10.0] "I am surprised about how underrated he is. He was great in his early days especially in the Mid-Atlantic. Why i am giving him 10 because he a pioneer that broke the color barrier in wrestling when he teamed with Rocky Johnson and became the first black team to win tag titles. He was a star in the early 80's before Hulk Hogan. He beat Hogan in 1981. In 1984 with WWF he was big but when Hogan came in the picture he went downhill and was put to mid-low card level. I thought it was not fair. His Saba Simba gimmick was horrible. He has been a big star in the indies for over 25 years. Future WWE Hall Of Famer!"

[6.0] "Despite his size Tony Atlas was just a "guy who was just there. " He never carried any matches but his size alone made him at least a draw for a decent midcard match."

[6.0] "Tony Atlas is a good case of the ups and downs of the life of a professional wrestler. He had all the skills and the backing to become one of the true greats of the business but was a victim of the drug culture that ran rampant through the business during his time, coupled with his own demons. He is also a sign how even though you may fall all the way down to the bottom of the barrel, in his case homelessness, there is a way to come back from that, even if to others what becomes after may seem to be a total and utter failure, a joke we all share looking back."

[8.0] "really really really powerful guy who is now working on a 40 year career. A good shoot interview guy too if you like shoot interviews. Atlas was always a victim of the politics associated with black wrestlers in the 1970's-1980's. This was the era of wrestling where a promotion wouldn't give a black man the title... and wouldn't have more than one black man in the area for much more than a few months at a time. Based on having heard a few shoot interviews with Atlas, I get the impression he was difficult to work with for a promoter... and that he protected his own interests. Still, Atlas was always in high demand simply because he looked amazing in the ring. Atlas was money and could draw... which again, is what wrestling is all about. A lot of fans here need to be educated on that point when they give a guy like Atlas their grades of 6 and lower. If Atlas could talk like Junk Yard Dog or the Rock, this is the guy who would have been the first ever black world champ imho. He was a poor interview on the mic though and an average worker in the ring. His selling point was all about having the body of a greek god and being black."