Jeff Costa (born June 26, 1962), better known by his ring name Bruiser Costa, is a retired American wrestler who worked for NWA All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver during the promotions later days in the 1980s. In the 1990s he worked in the independent promotions in New England as The Lobsterman.
| Bruiser Costa | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jeffery Costa |
| Born | June 26, 1962[1] Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bruiser Costa Lobsterman Jeff Costa Tony Costa Tony DeCosta Jeff McHale |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| Trained by | Killer Kowalski, Dean Ho |
| Debut | August 30, 1980[2] |
| Retired | 2019 |
Professional wrestling career
editCosta was trained by Killer Kowalski in Salem, Massachusetts. He would make his debut on August 30, 1980 at 18 defeating John Callahan by disqualification at Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation in Sailsbury Beach, Massachusetts.[3] Later that year he went to Montreal to work for Lutte International.[4]
In 1981, he worked for the World Wrestling Federation.[5]
Then in 1982, he worked in Vancouver for NWA All-Star Wrestling where he feuded with his trainer Dean Ho. He won the NWA International Tag Team Championship with Terry Adonis. Costa stayed in Vancouver until 1988 a year before All-Star Wrestling folded.
Costa returned to New England working as The Lobsterman in the early 1990s and wearing lobster claws to the ring. During that time he ran a promotion, All-Star Wrestling in New Hampshire from 1992 to 2006 and trained wrestlers such as Bob Evans, Gino Martino, Johnny Vegas and other wrestlers. Also in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, he continued to work in New England until his last match in 2019.
Championships and accomplishments
edit- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time)[6]
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time) - with Spider Web (Drago Zhivago) (1)[7]
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time) - with Terry Adonis (1)[8]
Discography
editLobsterman and the Crustaceans
edit- Lobsterman and the Crustaceans (2018)
References
editGeneral
- Nevada, Vance (2022). (Un)Controlled Chaos: Canada's Remarkable Professional Wrestling Legacy. FriesenPress. ISBN 9781039154797.
Specific
- ^ "Profile". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Jeff Costa « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".
- ^ Creahin, David (August 23, 2019). "Bruiser Costa Career Record". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Rodgers, Mike (March 11, 2008). "An Interview with 'Bruiser' Jeff Costa". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
- ^ "1981". Thehistoryofwwe.com. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ "NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "N.W.A. International Tag Team Title (Vancouver)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2007.